Prior to developing and approving new ordinances that would further regulate sex- offender distance restrictions and clustering, the Phoenix City Council approved a study to examine the nature and impact of sex-offender clustering. Their overall goal was to use the study to fill in some important knowledge gaps about the issue of sex-offender residential clustering in order to inform the development of effective policy. To examine this issue on behalf of the city council, we relied on a multi-methodological research design. We wanted to incorporate information from several different points of view, giving policy makers a more comprehensive perspective from which to inform their decision making. For this study, we relied on four resources: official police data, offender interview data, citizen survey data, and key stakeholder interview data.

The general goal of this report was to collect data on citizens’ needs for information about neighborhood crime patterns and trends, terrorism, and public emergency planning and response in the western region of the Phoenix metropolitan area. There was particular interest in obtaining citizen feedback on data-sharing questions related to terrorism prevention.

The Maricopa County Voluntary Vehicle Repair and Retrofit Program has been suspended due to current economic circumstances that have resulted in a loss of funding for the Program. While the Program is unable to provide financial assistance for vehicle emission repairs, the Air Quality Department recommends that the necessary repair work be completed by ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified professionals at an Arizona Green Business repair facility. From its introduction in January 1999 through June 2009, the Voluntary Vehicle Repair and Retrofit Program had been funded by the State of Arizona. From July 2009 through November 2010, the program was funded by an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Program provided monetary assistance to qualifying owners of older, high-emitting vehicles that had failed a required emissions test. Over the years, the program helped over 11,700 vehicles meet Arizona emissions standards, resulting in the reduction of over 2,100 tons of pollution.

During a fiscal year, employment sites are processed by the Trip Reduction Program. The TRP produces a detailed statistical summary report for each employment and student site. In addition, the TRP Task Force, along with the TRP staff, reviewed and approve Trip Reduction plans. The report tracks and analyzes the commuting habits of employees and students in Maricopa County.

The Greater Phoenix Blue Chip provides quarterly consensus projections on general economic indicators and key construction measures from economists and real estate analysts and executives in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The construction forecasts are compiled in cooperation with Elliott D. Pollack and Company, a leading economic and real estate consulting firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The purpose of this handbook is to provide a practical guide offering a comprehensive overview of the
department’s policies and interpretations of Rule 310. The intent is that this guide will be useful and used. The handbook is organized to respond to topical questions and it is structured to provide answers to the most commonly encountered compliance challenges.

The South Mountains, located on the southern edge of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, have long been considered a sacred place to Native Americans. Numerous trails, many of which are associated with ancient rock art and broken pottery, lead from the base of the mountains into the upper reaches of the canyons. The presence of this rock art and associated artifacts indicates that the trails were created by the Hohokam people, an artistic and intelligent culture. The archaeology and rock art of the South Mountains are currently threatened because of development along the edge of the mountains. Some of the incredible rock art has been documented over the past four decades, but no comprehensive surveys have been undertaken. Consequently, the City of Phoenix collaborated with the School of Human Evolution and Social Change at Arizona State University to undertake a long-term program to survey and record rock art within its cultural and natural contexts.

Concern has been expressed that mesquite bosques are disappearing or diminishing in quality, and that the survival of the mesquite mouse is consequently threatened. This study, funded by a grant from the Arizona Heritage Fund to the Pima County Regional Flood Control District, investigated the current distribution of the mesquite mouse by reviewing historical records from museum specimens, examining existing potential habitat at historic locations of the species and elsewhere in the county, and conducting a live-trapping study at 19 sites representing a range of ecological communities with mesquite as a major component.