Council "Slam Dunks" 2012-2013 Budget

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The Oro Valley Town Council voted to approved the staff submitted town budget for 2012-2013 by a 6-0 vote (Council Member Bill Garner not present.)  We have previously written about this budget including our position that approval of such should have been done by the new Council seated on June 6, and not the present Council.   No matter.  The budget has been "slammed dunked', approved seven current members,  two of whom will not be on Council and not subject to it.  Mike Zinkin and Brendan Burns, the two incoming members, will be subject to a budget into which they have had no input.

This is the politics of "slam dunk", when five members of Council operated to "get it their way".

It leaves us all with an uncomfortable feeling.
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Council Approves Fry's Fuel Center CUP

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The Oro Valley Town Council voted 5-2, after reconsideration, to approve the Fry's 7 pump fuel station conditional use permit ("CUP").  The station will be located at Lambert and La Canada, near the existing Valero Fuel Station.

Neighbors were successful in convincing Fry's to:

• limit  hours of operation from 5am or 11pm.  
• operate the station only on an attended basis.
• build the facility with minimal signage
• construct an awning that is more conducive to Oro Valley's ascetic qualities.
• Add some trees for additional screening

One issue raised by the neighbors was the impact on traffic of the fuel station at that location.  A Fry's study was "validated" by Town Staff.  The study concluded that there would be 58 new trips to the fuel station out of a projected 2,400 visits per day.  This means that, in their analysis, town staff concluded that most trips to the gas station will be from users who are already there for a variety of reasons.

During his presentation, the Fry's representative stated that, at some point, Fry's will not be providing a discount through other gas stations in town.  This will most certainly increase the number of visits to this new location since it will be the only place one can use their Fry's Fuel Discount. 
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