The Tempe City Council discussed cost-recovery measures and whether to fund humanitarian aid in the midst of a budget crisis at Thursday night’s council meeting.

At the council’s issue review session, members approved two recommendations made by Assistant Police Chief Brenda Buren and crime analyst Mary Anders for formal consideration at the next meeting.

Buren and Anders recommended requiring pawnshop owners to pay a $3 fee for every pawn transaction. Anders said the fee would act as a means of cost recovery for the investigation of pawn transactions making sure the items pawned are not stolen.

For each pawn transaction, the shop’s owner must fill out a slip that he must then sent to the Tempe Police pawnshop detail, part of the robbery unit, Buren said.

The new fees would generate approximately $99,000 in revenue annually, Buren and Anders said.

Bob De Fabrizio, who owns Arizona Firearms Collectables and Pawn in Tempe, said the new fees would hurt his customers and his business.
He said the cumulative cost of the fees would force him to charge his customers for each transaction, many of whom are in poor financial situations.

“I’m all about my customers,” De Fabrizio said. “When you take money out of the hands of those who need [it], that is wrong.”

The council also discussed putting increases in false alarm fees, recommended by Buren and Anders, on the formal agenda for approval for the next meeting.

Mayor Hugh Hallman agreed with the recommendation, saying the measure would not only help with cost recovery but also cut down on false alarms.

“Our goal is not to generate revenue, but to cut down on false alarms, which keep officers from being where they need to be,” he said.

Council members also approved the allocation of $115,000 in city funds to the Tempe Community Council, a government humanitarian aid agency, during the council meeting.

The allocation is controversial at a time when the city is facing a budget crisis and cutting back on job benefits for its employees.

The council approved the measure 5-2, with council member Onnie Shekerjian and Hallman voting against the measure.

Shekerjian said while she was not against helping the lower class during the national economic crisis, she was against putting further strain on the city’s employees.

“I don’t want the less fortunate to include our ex-employees,” Shekerjian said.

Reach the reporter at derek.quizon@asu.edu.