Mike Zinkin, who lost the mayoral election by 30 votes has a few things to say about the the Oro Valley budget shortfall.
We encourage all Oro Valley residents to read (and heed) Mike's words.
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Mike Zinkin On Oro Valley's Budget
I know it is an off election year, and that there is not a lot of interest in what the Town is doing, but we better keep a close eye on this budget cycle.
The Town Manager has presented a budget that is balanced ONLY if the Council agrees to $3,000,000 in increased/new taxes and fees. There has been NO sacrifice by the Town, instead they are considering coming to us for more money.
Oro Valley is considering an employee raise/bonus. Other cities are considering furloughs and lay-offs. Oro Valley pays 100% of employee health benefits and 75% of dependent benefits. Oro Valley gives 68 policemen a take home vehicle. Oro Valley has eight policemen assigned to a Task Force meaning that they don’t even work in Oro Valley. Oro Valley has eight motorcycle policemen, while all of Pima County has only six. Oro Valley gives employees a holiday for Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, and their birthday. Oro Valley has budgeted over $160,000 for training and travel ($36,000 just for Mayor and Council training). Oro Valley does the Amphi District job of providing security to the schools with seven School Resource Officers (SRO’s).
Before you come to the citizens for more money you need to clean up your own house. You need to make some sacrifices. Instruct the Town Manager to present a balanced budget WITHOUT an increase to the citizens. If the Council decides that the sacrifices are too much, they can then attempt to raise more money. It is the responsibility of the elected officials, not the bureaucrats, to make theses decisions. They can be held accountable.
How much money can be saved by having the employees participate in their health care expenses, eliminating three holidays, eliminating the Special Task Force, reducing the motorcycle detachment to four, eliminating the take home vehicles, and reducing the training/travel expenditures, reducing the SRO’s to one at each High School? Until you ask these questions, among many others, don’t attempt to raise taxes and fees.
Mike Zinkin
13 comments:
Hopefully Mike has made a mistake pointed out the budget of a town in another county or State. Is there that much of a disconnect between the town and it's citizens??
When is the last time we had any competition for Comcast, or tried to entice competition for Comcast. By enticing competition for Comcast the town would be able to collect more in taxes and fees. Also, note the taxes that are on your Comcast bill in the form of a license fee, user fee, sales tax, city sales tax, per-call tax, 911 fee.
When is the last time the health insurance and property casualty insurances were shopped to top notch competition? No one, I repeat no one pays 100% of an employee's health insurance.
Thanks to this budget many citizens will have their voices heard!
Thanks for the insight, Mike.
We all have been far too quiet watching our elected officials operate.
Looks like these guys are as "spendy" as the last bunch.
Its time for all of us to pay attention.
68 take home vehicles? Is this right?
As a former Federal employee, I can state that I have NEVER heard of 100% free health care in the civil service. I can also state that most civil servants pay into a retirement fund.
I thought Bell California was bad.....we may have a big problem.
Unfortunately, Mike is not mistaken about the disconnect between the town and its citizens.
This Council was heavily financed and backed by certain businesses and realtors. The Council, in adopting the new OV Sign Code, assisted these businesses and realtors by allowing numerous and bigger signs. When the Council included fines for realtors who disregard the code, they were overwhelmed by more than 100 messages from realtors and brokers. The fines were reduced. The mayor wants to revisit temporary economic efforts to help for businesses as “businesses can’t afford newer, bigger signs”. It would seem the mayor wants to reinstate the “temporary sign waiver”. Councilman Solomon wants to re-examine the permit process and fees for real estate. Councilwoman Snider wants to reintroduce A-frame signs, currently prohibited in the sign code because residents did not want them.
The Council majority does not consider its residents. They have not helped the residents. Many residents are on fixed incomes and have received no Social Security increases for two years. Yet, the Council has posted its 60-day notice for increasing utility taxes. It is considering a property tax.
Mike’s suggestions are worth repeating. Have the employees participate in their health care expenses; eliminate some holidays; eliminate the Special Task Force and return these police officers back to Town which is paying their salaries; reduce the motorcycle detachment; eliminate the take home vehicles; reduce the SRO’s at each High School; and reduce the training/travel expenditures. When this is completed, it may not be necessary to raise taxes for the residents.
There is no free health care for OV employees. The town may pay the premium for the employees only, which is common for most municipalities but the employee pays deductibles etc. The employee also pays for insuring family members.
As for retirement, the Town employees (other than police) take art in the A State retirement fund. They are required to pay 5% or so of each pay check into the fund.
Posters certainly have a finger on the pulse of this Council's plans!
Oro Valley's Council singularly denies a world wide economic downfall. Even with new members on the Council, the deny-reality virus must be rooted in Council's Chambers, ready to infect the newbies. How many of the newly elected promised to listen to constituent concerns?
Mike talks about teamwork, everyone feels a little pinch by frozen salaries or furlough and no one department takes a hit. Sounds fair to me.
Like other posters I worked for 34 years and no employer ever gave 100% health benefits. Deductibles don't count here as they vary with subscriber's health.
Last campaign the candidates talked about encouraging small business in OV. If sales tax is increased you will force shoppers to go where taxes are lower. Have you noticed the stores in areas with lower sales tax supply much more inventory? They know high taxes deter shoppers who will use the gas to get the break and buy in their stores.
If OV loses its retirees on fixed incomes, who will be able to afford to live here? Drug dealers. Now what will that do to this Town's charisma?
Think about it. Who will be able to afford the property, the shopping, the taxes? Will those who move in also bring the values of hard honest work over a lifetime which keep crime down?
I am encouraged that Mike Zinkin cares enough about Oro Valley, even after losing the Mayoral election by a very narrow margin, to continue to look out for its residents and property owners. It is good that he brought these matters to light and frankly I am sickened by what I've read.
I am an Oro Valley property owner and I think we all know that real estate in this community is in a serious slump with no signs of recovery. So introducing an "Oro Valley Property Tax," and an increase in local sales tax is the last thing Oro Valley needs. The Town Council members should be ashamed for even considering this in such tough times.
Regarding the reader who mentioned that Comcast has no competition, that is incorrect. It may not have another Cable provider but it does have serious competition from Direct TV and The Dish Network (not to mention the accessibility of Internet TV). So even though Comcast's prices seem very high, they are actually in line with that of other providers if one looks into it.
And yes, I wholeheartedly agree that Oro Valley should consider carving as much capital as possible from the over-extravagance in the existing budget. To do otherwise is to punish and betray Oro Valley's citizenry, which I'm sad to say, they seem to have no trouble doing.
Mike, right about now I'm real sorry you lost that election but applaud your spirit and willingness to help those of us who did not support you. That's true class.
In addition to my comment above, I'd also be real curious to know Mayor Hiremath's stance on these issues. Does he represent the citizens of Oro Valley and if so, what action will he take to ensure that Oro Valley continues to be a desirable place to live, raise a family, and retire? What about it Mayor Hiremath; do you care enough to comment?
I'd also be interested in knowing Hiremath's stance on this because during the campaign he led voters to believe that we would have a property tax if Zinkin was elected and we wouldn't have to worry about new taxes or tax increases if we elected Hiremath.
I am concerned that the Town Council has not noticed the tribulations that the town's citizens are STILL experiencing!
I live in Rancho Vistoso where most retirees I know watched with horror as the value of their 401k's, annuities and other investments dropped severely during the Crash. Most of these investments were either wiped out, became a file in some attorney's file-cabinet or only partially recovered their value.
Other residents -- the ones that have to really work for a living are experiencing tight-fisted employers who, themselves, are struggling to survive and treat their employees in an adversarial way.
I have watched the Town of Oro Valley take an adversarial posture towards merchants who consider setting up business within the Town Boundaries. I guess Oro Valley would rather have no business than have something less than Nordstrom's in some plaza.
In these times, I would like to see the Mayor and other top officials including the Town Council step up to the line and work for just a dollar a year until the suffering out there is alleviated.
I am worried that in these frantic times – with so many of us overwhelmed by emergencies – that exploitive people will think that nobody is watching. Thank you Art, for your encouragement to read these posts. I want Oro Valley to grow but not on the backs of current residents who have their hands full.
John R. deCOVILLE
I'm absolutely horrified by your letter, Mike. It seems too awful to be real. Does the Council think raising the taxes of the citizens is a fair and equal stance when they have not had to support some of this debt by a little sacrifice on themselves? Why do we need more motorcycle police officers than the entire county? They need to re-think their priorities. I also want Oro Valley to grow but at whose expense?
As a former Federal Employee, I must say that I am also in shock. I thought that most civil servants paid at least a portion of health care coverage AND paid into a retirement fund. Apparently this is not the case in many city governments and, indeed, in the OV. I would say in these hard times, it is time for city workers to make a fair contribution to health insurance and other benefits.
Thanks to Mike for making this a visible issue.......I agreee, THERE SHOULD BE NO TAX INCREASE, NONE!!! and first, the Town should publish a list of all full time positions and salaries, including bonus, and all perks with each job, then stop all programs not specific to runnig the Ciy........if the Council cannot handle this, we should consider closing City Hall and operate under the County administration
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