PHOENIX — The Scottsdale City Council has turned down more than $200,000 in federal stimulus money it was to get for its public safety agencies.
The city was in line to receive $234,000 in federal money, its part of $10.5 million in federal cash that Maricopa County is distributing to help city and town law enforcement agencies.
But the council rejected all but $10,000 this week, with members citing worries about locking in future costs and accepting the money just for the sake of spending it.
The council agreed to buy an auto-dialer to call defendants about court dates and fines, but rejected money for a police surveillance tower and a court collections worker.
Scottsdale needs to solve a $65 million budget deficit and has proposed pay cuts and layoffs.