Phoenix City Council Approves 2021-22 Budget

PHOENIX, AZ — The Phoenix City Council voted to approve the proposed budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, allocating money for mental health response expansion, climate action, business recovery and more.

The $1.6 billion budget includes $15 million for the expansion of the city's Community Assistance Program, which is a civilian-only health response program.

The council previously passed the tentative budget on May 19, setting the stage for Wednesday's formal budget adoption hearing on Wednesday.

The program is designed to improve accountability and trust in the city, by establishing nine behavioral health units in areas with the highest concentration of calls, the city said.

The budget also includes money to boost Phoenix's response to climate change, with a new Office of Heat Response and Mitigation created as part of the package.

The new office will oversee tree and shade distribution in the city, in addition to solar energy inspection, greenhouse gas emissions and cool corridors programs and creating a city-wide tree and shade master plan.

Additionally, the budget includes funding to help businesses in the Valley recover from the pandemic, including help with funding, training and retaining employees, the city said.

The budget also allocated $2.8 million to add four positions, aimed at boosting the city's Homeless Strategies Plan and improving affordable housing options in Phoenix going forward.

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Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego called the fiscal year 2021-22 budget, which goes into action on July 1, a crucial step in the city's recovery.

“Each of these issues speaks directly to the quality of life in Phoenix,” said Gallego in a statement. “Improving and expanding the way we respond to mental health crises is essential, so people get the help they need. We must protect our environment and climate so our families can live and grow. Likewise, every individual and family deserve a safe, comfortable place to live. We will continue our work to restore small businesses that suffered during the pandemic. Finally, as I have said many times, the fastest way to recover from the economic ravages of COVID-19 is to recover and protect public health. This balanced budget addresses those priorities in a way that is responsible and effective.”