A Message from your Pima County Supervisor   Ally Miller
District 1 
Happy Summer!  

 

With many of you heading out of town to avoid the heat, I wanted to provide you with a brief update following the June 16th Board of Supervisors Budget Adoption meeting for Fiscal Year 2015/16. 

 

Yesterday the Board approved an $0.11 increase in the Primary Rate and $0.09 cent increase in the secondary tax rate.  The new total property tax rate will be $5.92 - which is three and a half times more than Maricopa County's combined rate. 

 

I did not support the tax increases and instead highlighted numerous ways to eliminate non-essential spending in order to avoid further impact to our local economy. Our libraries will stay open, (for now) but we must have an open, honest dialogue about how 3 consecutive tax increases will effect the region. With the Board's adoption of this budget, Pima County residents will have watched their primary property tax rate skyrocket over 28% since Fiscal Year 2013.  

 

Here is a chart with an overview of home values and how the corresponding tax increase is estimated to impact you:

 

Thank you for taking the time to be informed and as always, please take a moment to watch some of the video clips below and the corresponding summary of each segment. 

 

Respectfully,

signature

Ally Miller, District 1 Supervisor

Pima County Board of Supervisors
Pima County Sheriff Deputy Association Members Request the Board Honor Prior Commitments to Pay Deputies and Corrections Officers According to what was promised when they were Hired
Members of Pima County Sheriff's Deputy Association (PCDSA) spoke at the call to the public at the June 16th Budget adoption meeting. Their stories highlighted the challenges our men and women face and the need to bring deputies and corrections officers to the proper step plan in the compensation package. Data shows that our Deputies are the 17th lowest paid agency in the State yet the 

PCDSA members ask for the Board of Supervisors to consider funding their step plan increases as promised when they were hired


PCDSA Vice Chair, Sgt. Kevin Kubitskey Proposes a solution to the Board

Supervisor Miller Comments on the Budget 
 

I highlighted numerous ways we can trim our budget to avoid raising taxes on residents & businesses. I also commented on the need to fund our Deputy Sheriff's step increases. Despite the fact we are receiving 8% more in HURF (gas tax) revenue, the County Administrator has once again not budgeting any money for pavement preservation of our roads.


 


 
Supervisor Miller on the FY 2016 Budget
Supervisor Miller Receives Applause following comments on the FY 2016 Budget


 "The persistently weak economy has put the County In an increasingly uncertain operating environment. It is anticipated the real estate market and construction industry in the County will take several more years to fully recover." - Chuck Huckelberry


 
District 1 Constable Appointment 
The Board approved the appointment of a new Constable at the June 16th meeting but unfortunately it was not the Constable recommended by the Arizona Constables Association.  Watch what happened in this brief video clip.

 
Questioning Rising County Administrative Overhead Costs to Each Department 
One of the areas I identified as a problem in the Budget was the County Administrative Overhead that is charged to various departments.  In analyzing the budget, I noticed sharp increases in how County Administrative overhead was impacting each department.  

With the County Administrator proposing another increase in our Wastewater fees (to be discussed at an August meeting) I thought it would be appropriate to highlight the Wastewater department as one example. Wastewater has seen a $3.2 million increase in County Administrative overhead since 2012 even though the number of Full Time employee's for that department has decreased by almost 45. 
Meet "Milo" - the 9 month old German Shepherd pup who comes to visit the office on Friday's. Milo brought a smile to my face in the middle of my analysis of the $1.16 billion County budget.

  
Time to Plan Ahead...
Interested in having Supervisor Miller come and speak to your organization, group, Homeowner's Association or Neighborhood meeting?  The Fall and Winter Calendar fills up quickly so contact the office to make sure you get on the schedule: [email protected]  
Upcoming Events
As the temperatures rise in Pima County this summer, there are many events to keep you cool.  Beat the heat with some of these fun activities this summer!
Board of Supervisors' Meetings

The Pima County Board of Supervisors' meetings are held the first three Tuesdays of every month.  Meetings begin at 9:00 a.m. and are held in the Board of Supervisors' Hearing Room in the County Administration Building located at 130 W Congress, 1st Floor, in downtown Tucson.

  

Public participation is a critical ingredient to successful government.  The meetings of the Board of Supervisors are open to the public.  A member of the public requesting to address the Board will be allowed a total of three minutes. 

  

Can't make it downtown? Check out the YouTube page for video clips and full recordings of each meeting. 
Supervisor Ally Miller, District 1
Pima County Board of Supervisors
130 W Congress 11th Floor  Tucson, AZ 85701
p: (520) 724-2738  f: (520) 724-8489  e: [email protected]