Avondale public money
← Avondale community hubA plain-language look at Avondale's adopted budget for July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025.
Budget at a glance
The Avondale City Council adopted the FY2024-25 budget on June 17, 2024. FY2025 began July 1, 2024 and ended June 30, 2025. The final budget was adopted through Resolution 1075-0624.
Avondale's budget includes sales taxes, state-shared revenue, property taxes, utility and service charges, development fees, grants, accumulated fund balances and other resources.
Transfers and financing sources should not be treated as new tax revenue each time money moves between City funds.
What changed from FY2024?
Avondale's FY2025 adopted budget totaled $443.221 million, compared with approximately $464.897 million in the FY2024 adopted/adjusted comparison used in the FY2025 budget.
| Measure | FY2024 | FY2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted / adjusted budget | $464.9M | $443.2M | -$21.7M (-4.7%) |
| Combined City property-tax rate | 1.4595 | 1.4592 | -0.0003 |
The comparison above uses the FY2024 adopted/adjusted amount identified in Avondale's FY2025 materials. Later schedules can show different figures for the same fiscal year depending on the accounting measure being presented.
The FY2025 Police budget identifies an objective to test deployment of cameras that act as license plate readers at specific intersections.
The budget documents reviewed do not identify a separate dollar amount for that objective or establish how many cameras were purchased, installed or activated.
Budget language establishes plans and spending authority. It does not by itself prove deployment.
Where the money goes
Avondale's Budget in Brief groups the $443.2 million adopted budget into operating expenses, capital improvements, contingency and debt service.
Operating-function figures show where day-to-day resources are directed. Capital projects are reported separately. The fund table below is the accounting view that reconciles directly to the $443.221 million adopted budget.
Budget by fund
| Fund group | FY2025 budget |
|---|---|
| General Fund | $202,527,900 |
| Special Revenue Funds | $102,466,500 |
| Enterprise Funds | $85,229,800 |
| Capital Projects Fund | $21,373,000 |
| Trust & Agency Fund | $13,456,700 |
| Internal Service Funds | $10,299,100 |
| Debt Service Fund | $7,868,000 |
| Total | $443,221,000 |
Municipal funds separate resources according to their legal, operational and accounting purposes. Enterprise Funds include utility operations supported by dedicated charges and fees.
Where the money comes from
Avondale projected approximately $259.9 million in FY2025 revenue.
The $443.2 million adopted budget also includes accumulated fund balances, transfers, capital carryover and other available resources.
Property taxes
Avondale's combined City property-tax rate declined from 1.4595 in FY2024 to 1.4592 in FY2025.
| City property tax | FY2024 | FY2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Primary rate | — | 0.6241 |
| Secondary rate | — | 0.8351 |
| Total City rate | 1.4595 | 1.4592 |
Exact FY2025 levy amounts were $4,041,254 primary, $5,407,729 secondary and $9,448,983 combined.
Capital projects
Avondale's adopted Capital Improvement Program appropriated $189.687 million for FY2025.
The final budget's capital carryover schedule totals approximately $129.76 million.
Carryover represents funding associated with projects authorized or begun earlier and continuing into FY2025.
These are selected projects with clearly identifiable FY2025 allocations or continuing project amounts.
Water & sewer
Roads & transportation
Parks & recreation
Public safety
Project totals, FY2025 allocations and carryover are different accounting measures. A project appearing in the capital plan does not establish that the full amount was spent during FY2025.
Police technology & surveillance
FY2025 is the first budget year identified in the records reviewed so far with an explicit Police objective to test intersection-based license plate reader cameras.
| Police item | FY2025 amount | What the budget shows |
|---|---|---|
| License plate reader testing | Not separately identified | Objective to test cameras acting as license plate readers at specific intersections. |
| Police Communications Bureau Remodel | $2.054M carryover | Police communications capital project. |
| Mobile crash-reporting software | $70,000 carryover | Police mobile crash-reporting technology. |
| Take-home vehicle program | Program identified | Police vehicle program documented in the budget. |
Automated license plate readers
The Police budget explicitly states an objective to test deployment of cameras that act as license plate readers at specific intersections.
The FY2025 budget does not establish how many cameras were purchased, installed or activated.
View Avondale surveillance research →Police communications
The Police Communications Bureau Remodel appears as continuing FY2025 capital-project funding.
Separate enforcement technology
Photo speed enforcement also appears in FY2025 records, but this page does not assume it is the same system as the Police license-plate-reader testing objective.
How to read this page
An adopted budget authorizes spending. It does not necessarily mean the entire amount was ultimately spent.
A budget entry also does not prove that equipment was purchased, a vendor contract was signed, or a project was completed.
Contracts, purchase orders, invoices and audited actual expenditures provide additional evidence about what happened after funding was approved.
Verify it yourself
These City of Avondale documents are the primary sources for this page.