Phoenix City Council met for a formal meeting on June 21, and voted to approve the final operating budget for 2017 to 2018 with a vote of seven in favor and 2 against.

                  Sal DiCiccio, councilman of District 6, said the city of Phoenix is spending its money on things that are “unnecessary, like public relations, lobbyists, membership dues, things like that.”

                  Phoenix has a deficit “year after year after year” because of the way the budget is set up, DiCiccio said.

“There are obviously some important things in the budget,” DiCiccio said.

                  DiCiccio said that if the city of Phoenix could find a way to better prioritize the budget, it would not have deficits every year because, “the city of phoenix is experiencing more revenue than it ever has in its history.”

                  “Obviously police are very important,” DiCiccio said and the important city functions belong at the top of the priority list.

                  Thelda Williams, councilwoman of District 1, asked for the record if the property tax was changing under the new budget, and it was said that it indeed was changing from $2.17 to $2.16, dropping a penny per 100.

                  DiCiccio claimed that last year, the property tax increased from $1.82 to $2.17, which he said was, “the largest property tax increase in the city of phoenix history.”

                  For the record, Phoenix City Mayor Greg Stanton wanted to make sure that was DiCiccio said was true, and Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher said that in fact it was untrue

                  Yet, the budget was ultimately approved.