Glendale’s Economic Growth Scorecard

Glendale Annexation Map - City of Glendale

WeSERV has hosted City of Glendale officials at various times during the past 5 years. During the time the City has changed quite a lot. From financially strapped and on the brink of Bankruptcy, to the vibrant, growing city of today.

It doesn’t seem that long ago (2017) we had the Mayor, Economic Development Director and Assistant City Manger on our stage discussing the future of Glendale. The future that was planned has largely come to be, or rather is well on its way.

But even when you witness large changes, it is hard when there are so many to keep them in mind and correlate them to the original plan. On Tuesday, Dec. 14th, Brian Friedman – Glendale Economic Development Director, presented a report commissioned by the City.

The study was commissioned to measure Glendale’s growth over the past 15 years, emphasizing the past 5 years. What was discussed in the study? Historic and future demographic changes, labor force, fiscal sustainability, land use, and development activity.

The report compares Glendale to Maricopa County and it highlights recent growth trends, particularly in the Loop 303 corridor. Most notably, the report shows an increase in general fund revenues of 34%, a much improved bond rating (BBB to AA) and a decrease in bonded debt per capita of 50%.

You can read the entire report and see the Economic Development Director’s slide presentation on the City of Glendale website.