We’ve asked that they submit guest views. Council candidate Charlie Hurt has provided the following “Guest View”.
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A disturbing 2023 budget picture
Oro Valley now has a budget for next year. I love budgets and I love to peel back some layers of the onion here to see what we really have. For the most part, this is a simple, straightforward budget. However, if we start looking at some of the items that make up the budget, we see what for me, is a disturbing picture.
As an example, examine the projected expenditure for Naranja Park. Skipping over the fact that until now Parks and Recreation investment has operated with a pay as you go mandate, the costs for the improvements are not known. The bonding, in this case $25 million for Naranja Park, received minimal public scrutiny, emerging as yet another closed door decision.
As an example, examine the projected expenditure for Naranja Park. Skipping over the fact that until now Parks and Recreation investment has operated with a pay as you go mandate, the costs for the improvements are not known. The bonding, in this case $25 million for Naranja Park, received minimal public scrutiny, emerging as yet another closed door decision.
There is no budget for the Naranja Park refurbishment… costs are really unknown
The Council study session on this issue was illuminating. The Town Engineer, Paul Kessler, noted that he had no way to determine what the costs for the re-imagining of Naranja Park might be (and should not be faulted for his lack of knowledge since he had received no estimates or proposals). The Town Manager weighed in that there could be a $5 million cost overrun. There was no discussion as to why the $5 million cost overrun was determined. Could it be more? Bottom line: how much will a splash pad cost? Unknown. How much will a pump track cost? Unknown.
This is a recipe for financial disaster along the lines of classic over billing and cost over runs. There are no firm or even soft estimates or projections for the costs. Yes, there is a plan but there are no costs associated with those plans. The public needs to know what the costs are, in detail, for the Naranja Park refurbishment.
Do we need more amenities in our parks? Yes. But we need to do so with eyes wide open.
We need to follow the wishes of the residents of Oro Valley who indicated, for instance, that splash pads and pump tracks tracks were rated below 50% in the statistically valid survey. Now they are priories. Why? We need to recognize, as did the respondents to the Town survey, that a higher priority is to maintain and enhance what we already have in our parks.
Going into debit without asking Oro Valley residents was and always will be the wrong thing to do.
Going into debit without asking Oro Valley residents was and always will be the wrong thing to do.
Now that we have this debt, we as residents, need to make our voices heard as to a budget for the Naranja Park expansion. Budgets need priorities—residents need to be willing to come forward and make their priorities known. That is what Oro Valley needs. We do not need a group of officials telling us what we need; we need Oro Valley residents telling Council what we need and what to do.
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Charlie Hurt is a candidate for Oro Valley Town Council in the upcoming primary, August 2. He has lived in Oro Valley for 16 years. He is a former member and chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission and a former member and chair of the Water Utility Commission.
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Charlie Hurt is a candidate for Oro Valley Town Council in the upcoming primary, August 2. He has lived in Oro Valley for 16 years. He is a former member and chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission and a former member and chair of the Water Utility Commission.
