Budgets & Funding

Economic News  Phoenix Commercial Leasing Remains Bogged Down  Phoenix CRE is slogging away amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with some deals continuing to move forward but many major deals remaining stalled. Andrew Cheney, principal for Lee & Associates, says almost any …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  SBA Makes Some Smaller Loan Forgiveness Easier  The Small Business Administration released a streamlined Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness application for some loans under $50K — but small-business groups and experts say it still leaves …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Tempe Launches $1.1M Small Business Grant Program  The City of Tempe has allocated $1.1M to create the Tempe Small Business Grant Program to help businesses impacted by COVID-19. The program will assist small businesses with up to …

By Peter Aleshire for Payson Roundup  Gila County is seeking a bond issue to pay off a $15.6M debt to the state retirement system for sheriff’s deputies, detention officers and dispatchers, Supervisor Woody Cline told the Payson Tea Party during a …

Economic News  No-Anchor Retail Could Be Better Bet  Conventional wisdom would dictate that in times of economic turbulence, a retail landlord might prefer to have an anchor tenant that offers essential services, like a grocery …

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX  Approximately $700M worth of Arizona K-12 school district bond measures will be on the Tuesday, November 3rd ballot, a significant decrease from the record-breaking $1.6B total request from 2019.  The largest bond requests are once again coming from Maricopa County, with Pinal County again at …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Gilbert to Start Spending Relief Funds  Gilbert will begin spending some of its nearly $30M in coronavirus relief funding, three months after the town received the money. The Town Council will spend $18M …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  When to Apply for PPP Loan Forgiveness?  The SBA’s formulas for loan forgiveness, and businesses’ individual forecasts, have created confusion as to when may be the best time to apply. A …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Small Business PPP-Type Loan Program Needed  An opinion piece in Triangle Business Journal by Editor-in-Chief Sougata Mukherjee summarized the looming disaster faced by small businesses as extended unemployment benefits dry up, along with the initial small …

By Philip Haldiman for Independent Newsmedia  A significant funding source that has generated about $4.3B in tax revenues since 2006 for transportation in Peoria and throughout Maricopa County expires in 2025, so city officials are planning to ensure they …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Double-dip Recession Possible Without New Stimulus  The U.S. economy is at a crossroads, with some analysts saying a failure by Congress to pass another stimulus package, even as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Will Latest Stimulus Proposal Stop Housing Crisis?  The $1.5B bipartisan stimulus proposal from the bipartisan House Problem Solvers Caucus offers another round of $1,200 stimulus checks and other cash assistance for those in need …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Florence Offers “Returning Stronger” Grants  Florence businesses have until October 31st to apply to the town for grants to reimburse them for expenses and losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Town Council has authorized the creation …

Source: Arizona Department of Transportation  The Arizona Department of Transportation will open an additional comment period for the revised 2021-2025 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program on Friday, September 18th. The additional comment period will extend through Tuesday, October 27th.  The State Transportation …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Yuma County to Contribute to State Relief Fund  The Yuma County Board of Supervisors voted to fund a state-sponsored relief grant program designed to help small businesses in the unincorporated areas of …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News Republican Stimulus Proposal Includes 2nd PPP, New Protections Small businesses could see a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans and legal liability protections from COVID-19-related claims under a new, …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Many Businesses Opting Out of Payroll Tax Deferral  The decision to let employers defer payroll taxes is part of the Trump administration’s effort to boost the economy absent any action …

Economic News  Pandemic Exposes Stress in Commercial Property Financing  The severity of the COVID-19 crisis has revealed extreme stresses in one of its primary sources of commercial property financing; the $1.4T market for commercial mortgage-backed securities. “I don’t think anyone foresaw the devastation …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  New PPP Rules Could Change Forgiveness Calculations  New rules issued by the Small Business Administration could make some Paycheck Protection Program borrowers’ rent or mortgage interest payments ineligible for forgiveness. Generally, the rules of …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Scottsdale Still Accepting Reimbursement Applications  Small businesses in Scottsdale can receive up to $5K in reimbursement grants for their costs related to COVID-19. The city is still accepting applications for the Small Business Reimbursement …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  $730M Coming to 90K Displaced Ariz. Workers  Nearly 100,000 Arizonans who have lost jobs during the pandemic are about to finally receive thousands of dollars each in jobless benefits, according …

Budget, Policy & Stimulus News  Three Tax Breaks for Liquidity During Crisis  Wading through the tax legislation implications of the 2017 tax reform and 2020 CARES Act can be overwhelming for many real estate companies. Three tax breaks, however, …

Economic News  Online Shopping & Delivery Squeezes Landlords  Digital grocery sales have soared, but potential aftershocks are significant for smaller tenants that occupy grocer-anchored centers that depend on grocers to draw in customers. Those tenants pay higher rents than they …