By Pete Wertheim, Communications and Public Affairs Manager

No Arizona event is as steeped in tradition and entertainment as the Prescott Frontier Days and World’s Oldest Rodeo™. This year marks the 126th anniversary of the rodeo and for seven days, July 1-7, Prescott will be consumed by thousands of residents and visitors who will enjoy one of the highest ranking rodeos in the country. More than 600 contestants will be riding, roping and racing to compete for payouts that exceed $250,000.

The rodeo is the largest attraction, but many also flock to downtown Prescott for the second largest parade in Arizona, a fine arts and crafts show, the rodeo dance and a Fourth of July all-day carnival with rides, freestyle motorcross, music and games ending with a spectacular fireworks display.

The Prescott Frontier Days and World’s Oldest Rodeo™ is one of the longest running and biggest Arizona attractions during the week of the Fourth of July. Its legendary status and grandeur earned the City of Prescott the nickname “summer capital of Arizona.”

Wild rodeo action amazes the fans

Thousands line the streets for the Prescott Frontier Days Parade

By Donyelle Kesler, Digital Information Specialist

Walking into the Queen Creek town hall municipal services building, the first person likely to greet you is Customer Service Coordinator Margie Payton.

Payton, who worked with the Queen Creek Water Company before joining the town five years ago, knows all about water services in Queen Creek and how to ensure residents receive excellent customer service.

“I really enjoy interacting with residents, seeing them in our lobby, talking to them on the phone, I just really love that part of my job,” Payton said. “I feel every person should be helped in the same manner. No matter how important the issue, how big or small the problem is, all of the calls that come through are important,” Payton said.

Payton works along with Customer Service Representative Lacy Heiney and Administrative Assistant Elizabeth Martin to handle customer payments, water service connections and disconnections, work with builders and utility field staff on work orders and hydrant meter information and placement, and answer all incoming telephone calls for the entire municipal service building.

“We all complement each other,” Payton said. “We all know what we needs to get done and what we need to do individually and that makes us a great team.”

“Margie does an exceptional job serving our residents,” Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney said. “She is sensitive to issues they may be undergoing and ensures that every interaction residents have with the town regarding services is a positive experience.”

Payton recently took part in and graduated from the Queen Creek Citizen Leadership Institute. She said that the Institute was something she wanted to take part in to become even more connected to the town’s inner workings.

“I loved being a part of the Institute,” Payton said. “I enjoyed being able to see what town staff does and see and experience things I hadn’t even realized in my five years were here. It was great to see that my fellow citizens enjoyed it just as much as I did.”

Payton considers herself a Queen Creek native. Her family moved to the community from Wyoming when she was 14 years old, and Payton notes the tremendous growth she’s seen in the community from street signals to new businesses. But she says despite that growth, the small-town feel and sense of community has not changed.

“When you go to the post office everyone is so nice, you know your neighbors, it’s a fun-loving community,” Payton said. “My favorite part of my job is when people come into the office when I’m working just to say hello. When people come in and say ‘I could have put this in the drop box but I wanted to say hi,’ I love that aspect of my job.”

Queen Creek Customer Service Coordinator, Margie Payton works to ensure that town residents receive exceptional customer service and support.

East Valley cities are using technology to their advantage. Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Queen Creek offer apps that are aimed towards public safety, things to do and city services. Check out this article to learn what apps are available and how they can benefit you!

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/money/article_60b2fb62-d87c-11e2-bf42-001a4bcf887a.html

By Steve Johnson, Public Information Officer, Bullhead City

The biggest festival in Bullhead City for the past seven years is the River Regatta in August, a nine-mile float down the Colorado River. It began in 2007 when about 900 people on inner tubes and rafts set off from Community Park and floated down to Rotary Park. In 2012, 27,000 people joined the Bullhead City Regatta!

The event requires a lot of support from the city, community and businesses. Local department stores, sporting goods stores, even hardware stores– that might not otherwise carry watercraft — offer tubes, rafts and life-jackets for this annual festival on the water.

Competition: teams, inspired by a different theme each year, create floats as wild as their imagination and as big as a bundle of inner tubes or Styrofoam will take them, compete for cash prizes and trophies. Over the years, the Colorado River has carried grass huts, birthday cakes, huge floating alligators, even pirate ships along its cool, rippling currents under the August desert sun.

Riverside residents are also encouraged to compete by decorating their homes and cheering on the floaters, many of whom are visitors from around the country.

Bullhead City River Regatta participants fill hotels, restaurants and stores, infusing hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy during the weekend event.

Regatta revelers hold parties and cheer on floaters

Thousands prepare to launch from Community Park

Social Media is becoming an essential skill in business and life. Read this article, published in the Phoenix Business Journal, showcasing the efforts of Arizona cities joining communities worldwide to celebrate the 4^th Annual Social Media Day.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/blog/socialmadness/2013/06/phoenix-area-cities-lining-up-social.html?ana=e_du_pub&s=article_du&ed=2013-06-20&u=zS+ErLDgTYn635tEGI97C5PryE1&t=1371767318

Great things to look forward to in the city of Tempe and the city of Chandler. There are two articles below featuring future economic development plans for each city. Read how these developments will impact their communities and create more opportunities for citizens.

http://www.tempe.gov/index.aspx?recordid=1519&page=31

http://www.chandleraz.gov/newsrelease.aspx?N_UID=2547

Posted below is an article recognizing Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and how he will assume the office of president of the United States Conference of Mayors. He is the first Arizona mayor to lead the organization! Very exciting news for the city of Mesa and the state of Arizona.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/20130611column-mesa-role-leader-mayors-group-benefit.html

How does your city help you? Watch The League of Arizona Cities and Town’s Communication and Education Director, Matt Lore, talk about the many different services and programs that are  available through your city.

Click the link below to learn more:

http://www.aztv.com/category/217859/video-landing-page?clipId=8984884&topVideoCatNo=217824&autoStart=true

By Jeff Weninger, Chandler City Council Member

The city of Chandler’s website recently received high honors from the Sunshine Review, a nonprofit organization whose mission surrounds transparency in local and state government. Of the 6,000-plus government websites that were ranked, Chandler was one of only 214 municipalities to receive the coveted A+ ranking (and for the 3rd year in a row).

As part of the ranking, Sunshine Review looks at a number of transparency criteria including information about budgets, public records, taxes, contracts, and public meetings. Since joining the City Council several years ago it has been my goal to maintain and strengthen transparency in government. I believe that our residents should be kept fully informed about decisions being made on their behalf. Fortunately, the city subscribes to the same philosophy.

In an effort to continue to improve, I asked staff to draft procedures to allow for more transparency and look for ways to expand the delivery of information pertaining to fees and other charges imposed by the city. Currently, when there is a proposal to revise a fee or charge associated with licenses, permits, or other items, it is required that a meeting notice be posted at least 24 hours in advance to meet the Arizona Open Meeting Law. However, this does not allow for much public comment. I would like to see that change.

I am proposing a city code amendment regarding the public notification process for setting fees and charges. Currently, certain charges are required to be posted on the city’s website and published in the newspaper, while others are not. It is my recommendation that the city includes other fees and additionally, uses social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to help communicate any proposed changes.

In today’s world, information is readily available through these types of mediums and I think that we should utilize them to enhance our transparency and keep the public apprised of city business that could potentially impact their lives. During a recent subcommittee meeting, several council members met with staff to discuss this issue further and look for other ways to improve our communication with the community.

We discussed expanded notice to the public through our website and social media, in some cases providing up to 60 days advance notice. These proposed changes could result in a greater opportunity to receive public comment on the issues at hand. It was a very productive dialogue.

This proposal will be brought forward at a future council meeting for a vote. But regardless of what happens next, city staff is committed to making it easier for the public to locate information. They will continue to modify the city’s website to make information easily accessible from the home page. And, as information pertaining to changes in fees comes available they also plan to post those updates online. Additionally, they will incorporate other fees that were not previously published and place the fee schedule where it is simpler to find. Essentially, these changes will create a one-stop shop for those seeking this information.

As a result of this discussion one thing is clear; when we provide more information than what is required by law it demonstrates the true spirit of transparency. And that will earn us many more A+ ratings down the road.