A Message from Supervisor Ally Miller

Dear Pima County Citizen,

 

Last June, the County Administrator and Board majority attempted to justify their 17% property tax increase as a necessity to maintain County operations. Within weeks of that claim, the Board majority then approved the purchase of $16 million for vacant land - a purchase that clearly showed the tax increase was not intended for the sole purpose of maintaining county operations.  Now Mr. Huckelberry is proposing another tax increase, this time blaming the State for his need to raise taxes. If it passes, residents will have watched their primary property tax rates skyrocket 28% in the past 3 years.  I will continue to identify areas  we can improve County operations and eliminate non-essential spending so we can fully fund our core services.  Below are some key items to update you on regarding the budget, recent Board votes and discussions. 

 

Board to Vote on Fiscal Year 2015/16 Budget & Proposed Tax Increases


This chart shows how the proposed tax increases will impact you based on the assessed value of your home.

The Board will adopt a tentative budget at the May 19th Board meeting and will finally approve the FY 2015/16 budget at the June 16th meeting. County leadership should have been planning for cuts in the State budget instead of spending $16 million for vacant land at the first Fiscal meeting of the year. As a result of the lack of planning and projecting, tax increases are once again being proposed as a solution.  Please consider attending the May 19th and June 16th meetings to speak on these increases and listen to Board discussion on your County budget.
     
Highlights from the May 5, 2015 Board of Supervisors Meeting

Nearly every week I ask important questions on County contracts in an effort to ensure we are in compliance with State, Local and Federal policies regarding the allocation of your tax dollars . At the May 5th meeting I asked a question regarding a contract with an organization whose Tax Exempt status was revoked by the IRS in 2011.  The Board immediately moved to approve the contract, preventing me from asking more questions. The organization  has been operating a boxing program from a county building at no charge and taxpayers also pay the annual cost for their utilities at the  building, (around $9800).      
To see what happened at the meeting, click here:


A Reasonable Solution to Improve Safety on County Roadways

Thank you to those who attended the May 5th meeting and spoke in favor of an ordinance I placed on the Agenda regarding panhandling in the medians.  The item was proposed in order to deal with the safety concerns of individuals standing in medians along our county roadways.  Unfortunately, my fellow Supervisors didn't take   the report from the Sheriff's department under consideration on this item. The  report clearly shows the serious issue we have with safety on County roadways due to individuals being allowed to stand in medians to solicit vehicles.  While Pima County remains the only jurisdiction to not have an ordinance in place, I will continue to advocate for the safety of residents, pedestrians and motorists on our county roads. Here's a video clip of that discussion and vote:   


The County Administrator is Proposing Closure of 4 Libraries

 

Although there is over $18 million in the 2015 bond package for new libraries and expansions, the County Administrator is proposing closure of 4 libraries, claiming we can't maintain operations and maintenance at these locations. Two of these libraries, Dusenberry-River & Catalina-Dewhirst, are in District 1.  

I am against the closure of our libraries and believe they are a valuable resource for the entire community.  Effective this month, Dusenberry-River will be closed on Sundays along with 7 other library branches throughout the County; the Board will further discuss the possibility of library closures at the May 19th meeting . To listen to my questions on the proposed closure of our libraries from a recent Budget hearing, please click here:

 
Supervisor Miller Questions The Proposal to Close Libraries

Plan to attend the May 19th meeting to urge the Board to keep our libraries open.


Upcoming Board of Supervisors Meeting - Important Action Items

 

At the May 19th meeting, the Board will not only adopt the tentative Fiscal Year 2015/16 budget but also discuss  libraries, tax rates, and whether or not to implement a surrender fee for City of Tucson residents for animals being turned in to Pima Animal Care Center. The County Administrator is also proposing to increase dog licensing fees for licensing animals in Pima County. 

 

The Board will also vote on the Comprehensive Plan Update - Pima Prospers at the May 19th meeting.  The Pima Prospers plan includes 13 planning area maps and an updated land use legend which governs land use for Unincorporated Pima County.  You can review the plan here: 
November Bond Election Details

 

Recently, the Board approved sending an $815 million bond package to voters to decide in a November 2015 election.  While I did not vote for the bond package, the  Pima County 2015 Bond Website contains information  regarding the projects and even includes a map of where each bond project is located.  

If you are interested in knowing which roads will be repaired in the bond package, you will have to vote on the package first in order to find out what's in it for road repair.

 

Thank you for allowing me to serve you.  If you have questions, comments or concerns, please contact me at my office (520) 724-2738.  I value your input and hope to hear from you soon.   

 

Best regards,

 

Ally Miller

Supervisor, District 1

Pima County Board of Supervisors

________________________________________________________________ 

 

Thank you for allowing me to serve you.  If you have questions, comments or concerns, please contact my office so that I can get them addressed for you.  I value your input and hope to hear from you soon.   

 

 

 

 

 

Best regards,

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Ally Miller

Supervisor, District 1

Pima County Board of Supervisors

Supervisor Ally Miller, District 1 | Pima County Board of Supervisors

130 W Congress 11th Floor | Tucson, AZ 85701

p: (520) 724-2738 | e: [email protected]

www.pima.gov/bos/dist1

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