County Moves Forward with $815 Million Bond Election
Explorer
Chris Flora
April 29, 2015
The Pima County Board of Supervisors has voted 4-1 to send an $815 million bond package to the polls in November.
District 1 Supervisor Ally Miller was the lone dissenter, agreeing with some speakers during last week’s meeting that the county should not be taking on more debt, and should instead focus on making cuts to current spending given economic conditions.
“One of the things I see issues with this package is we need to be responsible in our recommendations. We are still in the process of coming out of a severe economic downturn,” she said, also pointing out anticipated increased costs related to electricity, water, wastewater, and state cost shifts.
Well over 100 speakers weighed in on the issue.
The bond would increase county residents’ secondary property tax an average of $68 per year, which some took issue with.
County resident Christopher Cole said he was speaking “more in favor of the poor of Pima County rather than special self interest.”
“Are you really that comfortable taking food away from children, pregnant women, and the poor?” Cole said, addressing those in support of the bond. “Because that is disproportionately who bonds hurt, because taxes to support bonds, taxes to support interest rates disproportionately hurts the poor and keeps them from finding ways to improve themselves and improve their lives.”
Others say the bond will bring increased revenues to the county, translating into an increased tax base, more services, and, perhaps most importantly, improved roadways, which has been a spotlight
issue over the years.
The bond includes $200 million in a transportation bond – $160 million for roadway repairs, approximately $30 million for the Sonoran Highway project, and $10 million for the UA Tech Park project.
The remainder of the bond is being put toward more than 90 projects including funding for parks, recreation centers, museums, theaters, historic buildings, flood control, and a handful of other items.
“This is a matter of investment in the future, an investment in improving quality of life, creating jobs, and keeping the momentum of this region moving forward,” said former Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup.
The bond projects are slated for completion over a span of 10-12 years, and the balance of the bond set for retirement in 15 years.
District 2 Supervisor Ramon Valadez voted in favor of the bond, but only after it was deemed the life of roads repaired would outlive the debt repayment period.
“Frankly, part of what we had insisted during staff direction was that the financing made sense,” Valadez said.
Board Chairwoman Sharon Bronson said while debt isn’t her favorite choice, “it’s the only tool in our toolbox.”
The bond package will be presented on the November ballot in the form of seven questions.
1. Road and Highway Improvements Projects
Sonoran Corridor Highway $30 million
Road Repair and Pavement Preservation $160 million
Science Park Drive at UA Tech Park $10 million
Total: $200 million
2. Economic Development, Libraries and Workforce Training Projects
Pima County One Stop Career Center $6 million
JobPath Program Facility $1 million
Innovation/Technology Building, UA Tech Park at The Bridges $20 million
Oro Valley Business Accelerator $15 million
South Tucson Retail Tax Base Expansion Redevelopment Project $5 million
Davis Monthan Air Force Base Land Acquisition Program $5 million
South 12th Avenue Cultural and Culinary Corridor $3.175 million
Sahuarita Branch Library $7.5 million
Flowing Wells Branch Library Expansion $3.1 million
Joyner-Green Valley Library Expansion $1 million
Southeast Branch Library $6 million
Southwest Branch Library $600,000
Southern Arizona Regional Orientation Center $18 million
Total: $91.375 million
3. Tourism Promotion Projects
Tucson Children’s Museum $5 million
Pima Air & Space Museum Cold War Hangar & Exhibits $4 million
Pima County Fairgrounds Building, RV Park & Infrastructure Improvements $6.5 million
Colossal Cave Mountain Park Improvements $3.35 million
Pima County Courthouse/January 8th Memorial, Tucson Museum of Art $25 million
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum-Exhibits & Facility Expansion $9.35 million
Canoa Ranch New Museum/Orientation Center & Improvements $10 million
Reid Park Zoo African Expansion Phase II $8 million
Downtown Community Theaters & Historic Cultural Landscape $23.5 million
Temple of Music and Art $900,000
Old Tucson Expansion by Arizona-Sonora Western Heritage Foundation $3 million
Total: $98.6 million
4. Parks and Recreational Facilities Projects
Udall Park Expansion $4 million
Jacobs Park Recreation Center $4 million
Reid Park Improvements $2 million
Purple Heart Park Expansion $1.5 million
Sentinel Park - A Mountain Park Improvement Project $1.5 million
Urban Greenways City of Tucson $8.5 million
Freedom Center Expansion and Pool Improvements $2.5 million
Lincoln Park Improvements $1.5 million
Regional Sports Fields and Lighting $12 million
Oury Pool Renovations $1.5 million
Adaptive Recreation Center Expansion $6 million
Silverlake Park Expansion $2.3 million
Kennedy Park Improvements and Expansion $2.5 million
Murrieta Park Improvements $5 million
Jesse Owens Park Development $1 million
Buffalo Soldiers Memorial $250,000
Fort Lowell Park Improvements $2 million
Marana Cultural and Heritage Park $14 million
Marana Pool Renovation $3 million
Rillito Park $1.7 million
Flowing Wells Park Skateboard Park and Improvements $1.25 million
Flowing Wells District Park Expansion $500,000
Kory Laos Freestyle Memorial BMX Park $1.3 million
SW Regional Sports Tournament Complex at Kino Complex $25 million
Esmond Station Regional Park $6.8 million
Canoa Preserve Park $3.25 million
Willie Blake Park $350,000
Flowing Wells High School Track Improvements $1 million
Lawrence Hiaki Pathway $500,000
Lawrence Park Improvements and Pool $3.5 million
Pima County Softball Tournament & Recreation Park at Sports Park $3.2 million
Model Airplane Parks $1 million
River Park Acquisitions and Development Countywide $10 million
Kino Sports Complex Repurposing and Expansion $2.3 million
County-wide Splash Pad Program $4.2 million
Southeast Regional Park Shooting Range Improvements $2.5 million
36th Street Natural Resource Park $480,000
Agua Caliente Park Pond Restoration $1 million
Arizona Velodrome Center - Kino Campus $3.5 million
Ajo Community Golf Course Improvements $320,000
First Tee of Tucson Youth Golf & Life Skills Center at Crooked Tree $800,000
Sahuarita Pool and Recreation Complex /YMCA $14 million
James D. Kriegh Park Upgrades $3 million
Naranja Park Improvements $10 million
El Paso & Southwestern Greenway - South Tucson $1.5 million
YMCA at the UA Tech Park $6 million
El Pueblo Improvements $2 million
Quincie Douglas Center Expansion $1 million
Clements Senior Center Expansion $4.5 million
Total: $191.5 million
5. Public Health, Welfare, Safety, Neighborhoods and Housing Projects
Banner University Medical Center South Campus Expansion $18 million
Pima County North Clinic Relocation & Expansion $4 million
MHC Healthcare, Flowing Wells Family Health Center $3 million
Pima County Office of Medical Examiner Expansion $15 million
Vail Sheriff Substation $3 million
Pima County Jail Annex-Juvenile Detention Center Complex $5 million
Sahuarita Food Bank & Multi-Agency Facility $300,000
Pedestrian Safety and Walkability Improvements $12 million
Pima County Neighborhood Reinvestment Program $25 million
Pima County Affordable Housing Program $20 million
Total: $105.3 million
6. Natural Area Conservation and Historic Preservation Projects
Open Space Land Acquisition Program $95 million
Steam Pump Ranch Rehabilitation $2 million
Ajo Curley School Gym, Town Plaza & Other Historic Buildings $1.3 million
Site Interpretation/Preservation of County Cultural Resource Sites $2 million
Historic Ft. Lowell Park Master Plan Implementation $4 million
Dunbar School Rehabilitation $1.5 million
Mission San Xavier East Tower & Façade Restoration $2.5 million
Public Natural Park Trailheads $3.75 million
Total: $112.05 million
7. Flood Control and Drainage Projects
El Corazon - Santa Cruz River: Rillito & CDO Confluence $7 million
Cemetery Wash Drainage Improvements, Tohono O’odham San Xavier District $2 million
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Drainage Construction $1.935 million
Altar Valley Watershed Restoration Project $1 million
Floodprone and Riparian Land Acquisition $5 million
Total: $16.935 million
http://www.tucsonlocalmedia.com/news/article_fe27ffa8-edda-11e4-a917-2fb5f9b295ea.html
