Storm Water Utility Fee -- Oro Valley Council Meeting Nov 7

This in from the Town's notice folks...

"On November 7, 2007, there will be a public hearing to discuss the enactment of a
stormwater utility fee at the regular meeting of the Oro Valley Town Council. This fee, if enacted, will fund services provided to address both stormwater quality and quantity needs within Oro Valley.

On June 20, 2001, the Oro Valley Town Council adopted the Stormwater UtilityOrdinance which defined stormwater as an enterprise activity within the Department of
Public Works, Article 15-24 of the Oro Valley Town Code. As a part of the Stormwater
Utility Ordinance, a five member Stormwater Utility Commission (SWUC) was
appointed by the Mayor and Council in October 2001 to provide guidance and oversight
to the Utility. The current SWUC, with input from Town Staff, has determined that the present level of funding from the Town's General Fund is insufficient to meet requirements of the Stormwater Utility. Based on this analysis and a review of how other communitiesreceive funding to meet their stormwater requirements, the SWUC has recommended theestablishment of a fee for residential properties, businesses, religious, educational, andnon-profit facilities within Oro Valley.

On Tuesday, October 30, 2007, there will be a public meeting in the Oro Valley
Development Services Building, Hopi room, at 6:00 p.m. This meeting will provide
additional information about why the fee is proposed and allow for discussion of
questions."

Helen Dankwerth:Rhetoric Without Substance

On October 12, Helen Dankwerth addressed the Oro Valley Republican Women. Following is an excerpt of what was said about Dankwerth. "Helen remains deeply committed to the principles of open and participatory government, a business-like approach to fiscal management, responsible commercial and residential growth, and continual dialogue and sharing of information with the residents of Oro Valley." We really have to wonder if these gracious women actually are familiar with Dankwerth's actions and voting record. If so, do they really believe the above statement?

Let's not forget, it was Dankwerth who pushed three times until she finally got Al Kunisch to join with Terry Parish and Hizzoner Loomis to give us the Utility Tax on our gas, electric water bills.

Let's not forget it was Dankwerth who voted to allow Golder Ranch Fire District to annex Town Hall which was a precursor to thousands of us getting a major escalation in our fire service bills, with absolutely not tangigible benefit to show for our money.

Let's not forget, it was Dankwerth who claims she she is committed to a dialogue with the citizens, and yet refused to meet our neighbors from OV1st.

Let's not forget it was Dankwerth who just last week totally disregarded the recommendation of the Planning and Zoning Commission and voted to approve a 60'hotel which is 24' higher than our code permits.

Let's not forget it was Dankwerth who voted to hire more town employees without knowing if the funds were even available.

Let's not forget it was Dankwerth who took a trip to Washington DC at our expense, and then had the audacity to partake in a $100 steak dinner---at our expense.

There's much more, but you get the idea. Saying you're interested in the citizen's issues, having fiscal responsibility and saying you're concerned about commercial growth is nothing more than rhetoric. Dankwerth's actions and votes are the true test, and she fails miserably.

Hey Parish: $17,800 Another Worthless Expenditure!

An article in the Ocober 23 Explorer notes that Oro Valley will spend $17,800 to determine ''How they're doing." Why would Oro Valley pay $17,800 to determine how they are doing? Our readers constantly tell them---"You're Doing Terrible!" Hopefully, Parish and the other incumbents will find out in the next election that the "small segment of the population "ain't" that small!

Click here to read the article.

Clint Bolick Reports: "Oro Valley Subsidy Recipients Under-Perform By Millions"

Please read the following message from Clint Bolick, Director of The Goldwater Institute's Center for Constitutional Litigation. Clint is the lead attorney in the Goldwater lawsuit against Phoenix and their $100 million plus giveaway.
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Oro Valley Subsidy Recipients Under-Perform By Millions

Clint Bolick

Goldwater Institute Daily Email
October 24, 2007

I'm Shocked, Shocked!

Oro Valley's recent decision to yield its status as Arizona's subsidy capital didn't come a moment too soon. The first report for two sales-tax rebate subsidies awarded for Oracle Crossings Center and Steam Pump Village are in, and the results are predictable.

The first project forecast sales of $106 million over the last two fiscal years, which would have generated $2.12 million in sales tax revenues; but instead produced $35.5 million in sales and only $441,000 in sales tax revenue. The second projected sales of over $26 million and tax revenue of $525,000, and instead produced sales of $2.1 million and tax revenues of $46,000. In both cases, nearly half of the sales tax revenue will revert to the developers.

Explanations for the revenue paucity include delayed construction and insufficient demand for retail space. Could it be that the market is telling the town something?

The Oro Valley experience is only the latest evidence that politicians are lousy investors. A few years back, Tucson gave Slim-Fast a big subsidy to build a plant; within a few years the plant went bust and the promised jobs disappeared-along with the taxpayers' money.

Arizona's founders had their own epiphany 100 years ago: subsidies lavished upon railroad companies that never managed to lay track. Determined never to repeat that error, they wrote into the Constitution the anti-gift clause, which absolutely prohibits gifts to individuals or corporations in the form of subsidies or otherwise.

Cities have ignored the constitutional constraint, engaging in a frenzied competition over who can bestow the most corporate welfare.

Clint Bolick is the director of the Goldwater Institute's Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation