Oro Valley Council To Set Strategic Priorities Tonight

Two year horizon

Tonight, the Oro Valley Town Council will review and set strategic priorities for the town for the next two years. The document they are reviewing is called “The Strategic Leadership Plan.” It covers a two-year period of time. The plan sets priorities in seven areas (See panel that follows).
  
Part of the budget process

Approving the strategic leadership plan is part of the process that Town Manager Mary Jacobs developed while she was working with Mayor Hiremath. At that time, Jacobs used the council’s annual January strategic leadership retreat to introduce the concept of developing operating priorities based on that counsel‘s interpretation of the intent of the general plan. That is what the leadership plan includes. The last leadership plan was developed two years ago. The Winfield Council was in office for less than two months. COVID-19 had not yet happened.  So a new plan really is appropriate given these changes in circumstances.

Planning a "post pandemic" Oro Valley 

One of the goals of the plan is to transition the Oro Valley economy to a post pandemic era. Of course, no one knows what that will be so the plan will provide directions to proceed but not necessarily direction that the town will proceed in areas like economic development and in activities to attract retail and hospitality businesses to the community. These businesses that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic.

Focus on ESLO

Another area focus is to look at the towns “Environmentally Sensitive Land Ordinance (“ESLO”). It was passed in 2011. You can read its history here.

To some extent the ESLO is a barrier rampant, unbridled growth. This ordinance was approved by counsel encourage the wise use of land, avoiding the obliteration of hillsides for example. One of the objectives of the proposed strategic leadership plan is to evaluate the ordinance in relationship to “unintended consequences”. We’re not sure to what unintended consequences they refer, since these not stated in the document. It seems that perhaps the ordinance, if evaluated at all, should be evaluated against what it has accomplished. That is: How has the ordinance prevented the wanton distraction of land?

Funding police pension key financial focus area

In the area financial sustainability, and objective is to find a solution to the funding town's public safety retirement fund (PSPRS). This fund is managed by the State. Oro Valley’s pension is. underfunded.  Oro Valley would lead the entire state if it funded its plan completely, since 95% of our communities have severely under funded there public service pensions. The State should lead this effort for all communities.  For example, the State has the financial capacity to fund the plan and deduct each town’s share over, say 20 years, from State shared revenues.

The "buildout" bogeyman to drive annexation

Also included in the objectives in the financial area are to more fully understand what the “build out” of the town actually means financially. There are some on council who have said that the town will need a property tax to support itself is buildout is achieved. They assume that the town can’t find more efficient ways to deliver the same level of service. It also a promotes a “grow or die” philosophy. Thus, one of the areas the plan discusses is the continuing pursuit of high priority annexations.

 

Could be the final opportunity for some council members to opine

What the town Council decides this evening matters because it sets what town will pursue past the next council election. It may well be the last time that some members of council will have the opportunity to shape the future. I hope they do so and that they will do so wisely.

Bits and Pieces

Efforts to convert Vistoso Golf to public open space continue
According to an email from Preservevistoso.org, efforts continue by the Conservation Fund to acquire and convert the Vistoso Golf property to public use.

"Since May of 2020, The Conservation Fund (TCF) has been engaged in a partner-driven endeavor with the community, the Town of Oro Valley and other key individuals regarding the community’s desire to protect the beautiful features of the former +/- 208 acre Vistoso Golf Course (“Property”) including its nature preserve with wildlife and a 6-mile community trail that could be used for public benefit. Following the Town Council’s approval to begin these discussions at their public meeting in June, TCF began the process to begin negotiations with the property owner to purchase this property. TCF is also partnering with Preserve Vistoso, a local non-profit organization, regarding this endeavor to seek out the property’s potential of being preserved and added to the Town of Oro Valley’s public open space system where anyone can enjoy its breathtaking views along the winding pedestrian pathway which traverses the area. Of course, this effort is in the early stages and will continue to evolve especially given many moving parts. However, with the strong support received from the local community and the Town’s elected officials, TCF is poised to lead this endeavor and create long-term solutions that work for our partners."(source)

Rodman and Solomon Approved This

Rodman and Solomon never funded Community Center ADA needs...but now they support it
For the last four years while on council, Oro Valley Council Candidates Rodman and Solomon have voted in favor of every budget. No budget included funds need to make the Community Center ADA compliant. Neither ever brought this up as an issue.

Now Candidate Rodman talks about being a "good friend" to those with ADA needs; and Solomon talks about making the Community Center ADA compliant.

For three years, they didn't care. Now, during an election, it becomes important to them.

PPP Loans Saved 2,908 jobs for Oro Valley headquartered businesses
246 Oro Valley headquartered businesses saved 2,908 jobs by receiving $17.3 million in funding from the SBA Payroll Protection Program. The program was implemented to cope with the business closing impact on employees of the pandemic. The companies do not need to repay these funds as long as the funds were used to pay staff.

Many other businesses that have Oro Valley operations also received loans from the PPP program. For example, HSL's El Conquistador received a loan for up to $5million.
(source)

Town hires consultant to help local businesses
Town Manager Mary Jacobs has retained a consultant to help Community and Economic Development Manager, J.J. Johnson develop a plan to assist local businesses in the Covid-19 Pandemic (Source).
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Oro Valley Police Chief Riley Manages In A Crisis

Managing in a crisis 
Kara Riley has been Oro Valley's Police Chief for thirteen weeks. Most of that time, Riley has been dealing with the impact of Covid-19 and the resultant economic shutdown. According to Riley, "Its been very busy but very rewarding."

First step: Protect the Officer
Working on ensuring that the police force was healthy and could maintain its health was the first step. "We immediately began mitigating things and looking at their personal protective equipment ("PPE")." Initial focus was on dispatchers and first line patrol officers.

To an extent, the officers were already prepared.  In 2017, Lt. John Teachout invented a “Go Bag”. Every officer gets one the day they start. It has PPE gear such as an N95 mask, booties, a full outfit, and gloves. In addition, the spouse of one officer made masks for all.

Some procedures were changed to protect the officer. For example, rather than stepping into a home on a call, the officer will ask residents to step out to reduce exposure.

In addition, the town has altered its: "You call for a cop. You get a cop." approach. Medical calls go to Golder Ranch Fire District ("GRFD"). A police officer joins the call if there is potential violence involved.

The challenge is to protect the health of the officer and the caller. The result is that there have been no officer exposures to Covid-19 and no active cases.


Second Step: Reach out to the senior community
"We've reached out and phoned every member [of the voluntary police], 100 people, to make sure that they are doing OK. Daily we reach out to Sun City just to make sure that there is nothing we are missing with our senior community. They are our most vulnerable. I want to insure that they have everything that they need." This includes following up on the many calls the department received from worried family members requesting house checks.

Third Step: Stay ahead of the "bad guys"
Oro Valley's retail stores are opening. Riley anticipates an increase in crimes of opportunity, particularly shoplifting. "I believe we will see an uptick in crimes there."

Use a community approach to Covid-19 restriction enforcement
The Oro Valley Police have taken a soft approach to enforcement of restrictions. The officer provides a letter of rules and recommendations when there is a complaint. "And then, we leave it at that."  Enforcement in this area is a challenge because "...these are not laws we were brought up under."

Focus on seamless service
"We want residents to see no transition," regardless of how long the pandemic emergency lasts. When it comes to our town, "Service will be seamless."
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Welcome Back Retailers

Some retailers returning today... Many more on Friday
Today, retail businesses, shuttered by the Covid-19 shutdown, will be opening again. They can operate their business on a "take out basis" until May 8, when customers can return to their stores. Yes. That includes restaurants. This will all be happening using sanitation and social distancing measures.

Those who are at risk, and you know by now if you are, should exercise caution in participating in the "opening" of Arizona.

Why not check out your favorite retailer today. Some will be operating on an appointment basis. Let's Go Oro Valley! Watch Mayor Winfield's discussion of how this will work here.

In addition, last week Governor Ducey announced that optional medical procedures can resume. So do get that test or procedure started. You will be tested for Covid-19 if you are getting elective surgery.
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Bits and Pieces: Time To Free Oro Valley

Time to Free Us!
There are a number of reputable studies that show that 50 to 80 times the number of recorded COVID-19 cases are out there; and that these people were either not sick at all or had cases so mild they didn't have to pay attention to it. Guess this isn't such a scary apocalyptic flu after all.

Using even the lowest estimate of 50 unreported to every reported case, the COVID-19 numbers look much less threatening. Perhaps, not threatening at all.

Here's the adjusted numbers:

• You have a 2% of getting sick enough to even worry about it
• .1% is overall mortality rate if you do get it. That means you have 99.9% chance you will be just fine.

Now that we have the data it is clear that only those who are at highest risk should have been locked-down. Those who serve them need to take precautions. The rest of us need to get back to our lives.

Mayor Winfield does not agree with us. Watch his recent video.  It is yet more: "Stay Strong", "We're in this together" pablum.

We are not children. We need to be treated like adults. And we do have the "Bill of Rights".

In his video, Winfield claims that COVID-19 cases in Arizona are increasing. He is wrong. The total number of new cases are flat or decreasing. 250 new case a day in a state of 4  million people does not make for an epidemic. And most days it is far less than that.

The number of cases reported have been spiking up and down because more tests are being done. These people may have it but they are not anywhere near close to being really sick.

Mr. Mayor, there are 4 million people living in this state and a whopping 5,700 cases in total. There are at most 10 cases in Oro Valley and there are 45,000 residents. 

It is insane to imprison 99.9% of the population!

Heat and sunlight kill the virus on any surface in 2 minutes. Open our dog parks. Open our tennis courts. Open our basket ball court. Give us some semblance of progress. 

You can do this. The CDC says that a State can and should be opened on an individual county and town basis.

One size does not fit all. Fight for Oro Valley to be free. Be a leader. We don't need a nanny.

The "excessive noise" police have no standard noise measure
This is from Nextdoor.com. An El Conquistador resident wrote:

"We have our music on in our backyard, we live off the 15th hole. Country music playing, with no vulgar language or anything bad. We have the cops show up for a noise complaint?! Are you kidding me! It wasn’t even 7 pm! The officers were professional and understood our confusion....I am baffled by the ridiculous nature of this situation and the lack of courtesy in this well established neighborhood."

We wonder: What the police were thinking? We wonder why the person who complained, if there was one, didn't simply go over to the neighbor. And why was it necessary for two cops to show up?

The Oro Valley noise ordinance (10-1-4) states: "No person shall negligently make, cause, or permit unreasonable noise." What, exactly, is "unreasonable?" It is not standard of measure. It is entirely subjective. "Unreasonable noise" can be and should be quantified in the ordinance defining decibels within a distance commensurate with zoning of the area. It is easy to establish a standard. Let's do it.

Impersonating LOVE and Winfield
Someone has created a fake LOVE email address (letorovalleyexcel@gmail.com).  If you receive any emails from that address, they were not sent by us. Someone (most likely the same person) has also created a fake Facebook page that appears to be the facebook page of Mayor Joe Winfield and they are sending friend requests to unsuspecting people. Please always check to make sure that the emails or friend requests you receive are actually from LOVE or from Mayor Winfield. It if looks suspicious, disregard it.


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Oro Valley Looks To Help Local Business Survive The Pandemic

Several measures considered
Last week, The Oro Valley Town Council discussed what the town is doing and what it can do in the future to aid those businesses in our community that have been decimated by Covid-19 social distancing imposed restrictions.

Grocers and home stores are booming, They are even hiring,  according to Dave Perry, head of The Greater Oro Valley's Chamber of Commerce ("GOVTC").

Overall, though the shock to small businesses has been extreme. As Council Member Solomon noted: "One day these were businesses that were thriving in a booming economy. The next day they are closed."

...to alleviate, in some fashion, this economic horror show
The State's shutdown of all non essential businesses is an economic horror show. It is a horror show that extends well beyond the retail and hospitality industry, It is a horror show that extends into the medical community, where dental offices are closed, physical therapy offices have limited hours, and local physicians are seeing fewer patients because people have been "scared into" not coming to appointments. Physicians have cancelled elective surgeries, impacting hospital use. 

All of this is a terrible economic blow to businesses and residents of Oro Valley. It is also a huge blow to Oro Valley's budget. A subject we will discuss in a future article.

Help to date
The town has moved to help retailers, relaxing Oro Valley's sign codes. For all small businesses, the town has a web page that lists resources for business to use, including links to the government's CARE program. According to Town Manager Mary Jacobs, the town has appointed an ombudsman to work with businesses, added police presence for retailers, and waived late fees for permit filings. The town intends to waive fees for emergency repairs. The town has suspended water disconnects. Many of these costs and fees are relatively small. Still, as Jacobs noted at the meeting, they are something.

Winfield: Residents need to help
Mayor Winfield commended businesses for taking their own initiatives, some closing voluntarily,

He asked residents we consider things we can do to support the jobs in our community (see video). For example, though the Best Buy store is closed, you can can buy on line and pick the product up at the store.

In concluding his remarks, Winfield asked that those of us who leave for the summer, consider remaining in Oro Valley this year to help sustain our local business.

Looking Forward
The town will collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce  to develop a data base of Oro Valley businesses. The database is needed so that both groups can reach the entire business community.  This effort will be led by the Chamber.

The town will consider other action items of at future meetings. For example, Council Member Solomon suggested that the town consider a sales tax holiday for some period. He believes that this would help both the consumer and businesses in town. In addition, he thinks that it might bring in business from outside the community.
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Nobody Told Us There'd Be Days Like These

Oro Valley Hunkers Down
"Nobody told me there'd be days like these
Strange days indeed"

Words from the late Beatle, John Lennon. John's words, written in 1974, are so true today. These are "strange times indeed" as together we face the Covid-19 pandemic.

Stay at home... Be Cool
The State, the county and the town have issued "Stay at home" orders. The State has declared an emergency, giving it the ability to get government funding. They did it to tap federal money. They did not necessarily declare the emergency because they think that we are at extraordinary risk, though this may be the case.

Yes. We will see more Covid-19 cases and more deaths. Please, let's keep it all in perspective. The vast majority of Arizona's 6.9 million residents will never get this virus. No need to panic. Simply follow CDC and local guidelines.

Cops on duty... Ready to help
While we hunker down, Oro Valley's outstanding public safety personnel are on the job. According to Police Lt. Matt Horetski. the police department continues to work to ensure safety. The department has made a deployment changes. "In keeping with Community Policing efforts officers have increased presence at local businesses, especially during peak volume hours. You have obviously seen them at Fry’s however our officers are spending time at businesses within the town."

In accordance with social distancing guidelines and limiting person to person interactions, the CVAP personnel are not deploying and special events such as the citizen’s academy have been put on hold. The department encourages the community to make phone, as opposed to in person reports.

Some things we can do

• Follow CDC Guidelines
• Stay at home, making only really necessary trips
• Walk... walk... walk...
• Get plenty of rest
• Reduce anxiety. Watch and read the news less. Grab a good book. Your favorite movies!
• Boost your mental acuity. Take on online course in something you LOVE!
• Smile! (We know this stinks but we are in this together. So enjoy the time off.)
• Offer help to those in need
• Support your local restaurants. Did you know that Harvest and Charred Pie offer take out?
• Please don't hoard anything
• "Be happy, Don't Worry!"

All things must pass
Another late Beatle, George Harrison, reminds us all that

"All things must pass
None of life's strings can last"

And so it will be with Covid-19.
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Remote View Only For Tonight's Council Meeting

Town Council meetings accessible to public remotely only
The public will not be allowed in council chambers for tonight's town council meeting. Instead, the public will be able to view the meeting and participate remotely. This procedure by the town is to "... ensure public participation during the current period of social distancing." (source)

The public can view and listen to the meeting
The public can watch the meeting and listen to the meeting online or listen by phone. Click this link to watch and listen on line. Dial this phone number, 480-999-2896 and when prompted entering ID: 311 239 070#, to join.  The meeting starts at 6pm

Here's how the public can participate in the meeting remotely
Comments on an agenda item
You can provide comment on an agenda item if such is allowed by law, such as in a public hearing. To do so "...contact the Town Clerk at 520-229-4700 or at mstandish@orovalleyaz.gov at least thirty minutes prior to the meeting and state what agenda item they would like to speak on."

Call to audience
If you want to participate in the "Call to Audience" segment of the meeting "The comment or question must be sent via email to Bluecard@orovalleyaz.gov no later than thirty minutes before the public meeting. If the sender wants it to be read at the meeting (which may or may not occur, in part or in its entirety, as appropriate under the circumstances), comments shall be limited to no more than 500 words or three minutes as read aloud."  Note that we do not believe that you need to provide the comment or question in writing since that is not required when you attend a meeting. Simply let the town know that you will be speaking and inform them of the topic of your speech.

Remote participation is not always reliable so do be patient
The town is assuming at least two things in moving to this remote mode. One is that the technology is reliable. The other is that people will be sufficiently skilled to be able to comfortably use it.

In the past, the technology has not always been reliable.  Indeed, the last town meeting was supposed to be viewable on line, but it was not.  All we could see was a blank screen. And we have a very high speed internet connection. Most people don't.  Add to this the possibility that the system may crash if there are many viewers. We don't know if there is a backup system.

The other challenge is that most people, especially older folks, are not computer fluent. And it's older people who generally attend these meetings. Participation requires coordination of using a device for viewing and a phone for talking. Sounds simple enough. But our experience with others attempting this is that they simply don't get it right. We imagine also that there will be latency problems; that is, what you see on the screen will not synch with what you hear on the phone.

Regardless of all this.. . show up.. it's our town!
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Heather's Corner: An Oro Valley Mom's Perspective on Covid-19

We are pleased to present the following "Special Edition of Heather's Corner." Heather is a freelance writer.  Her column "Heather's Corner" appeared in LOVE from 2014 through 2015. We asked Heather and she so graciously agreed to provide her personal perspective on the impact of Covid-19 on an Oro Valley mom. As usual, beautiful work. Enjoy!
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Someone posted on Facebook that the weirdest part of living through this pandemic is the strange mixture of normalcy and emergency and the constant struggle between feeling as though they were either underreacting, overreacting, or a combination of both at all times. So far I have found nothing that resonates more as I spend current days coloring with my children, basking in the Arizona sunshine of my backyard, and keeping an eye on the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths tracked thus far in Pima County.

I often wonder how much anxiety I am adding to the lives of my children while having the news cycles on in the background. They seem to be ignorant to the fact, as they make paper flowers and loom band pot holders, that the world is ever changing during this catastrophic event, so on they play. I still hear laughter from them as I chew on the extra skin beside my thumb nail, scrolling through news sites and worrying about how bills will be paid, so all is still good in my world.

My mornings consist of the family check-in between my sister, mother, and I. My sister has the keen sense of limiting news stories for her family but relies on me to tell her the gist of the day while my mom tells me about the latest conspiracy she’s read. We take a walk on the streets of our quaint Oro Valley community, as I look at everyone we pass by like possible carriers. After a snack, we tackle virtual classrooms, chores, and then spend the rest of the day behind the walls of our fortress. Some days I feel like my life is like a wholesome rerun of Family Ties or 7th Heaven and some days, as one Facebook poster shared, I feel like we were dropped on the set of The Hunger Games.

Things I worry about: I worry as I run low on sandwich meat that I will have to go back to the grocery store where staying 6 feet away from shoppers is nearly impossible. I worry whether I should start doing the shopping for my parents, as my mom nears 70 and my father is diabetic, but she insists she is fine. I worry when my children will spend time with their father again, a TMC employee who gave up his “co-parenting time” over concerns he may become infected— he says ‘hi’ to them from my driveway and they wave from the front door but it’s not the same. I worry that as this spreads, one of my loved ones will get sick, or worse. And I worry that all of this worrying is for not.

When I allow myself the brief moments between staying ahead of the headlines and weeding through news stories, I surrender to a new life that has landed in our home; a way of living that is simpler and without expectations or rigorous schedules. Up before sun rise, the struggle to get everybody dressed: “I told you to put your shoes on five minutes ago!” school, work, homework, ballet class, archery, band, birthday parties, clubs, appointments, are all foreign to us now as we navigate the new intensity of a 20-minute game of checkers. Yet from the safety of my home, I watch in awe as the community leaders out there, without the potential of a simplified life, make it possible to thrive: the teachers who have rallied to not skip a beat, the steadfast healthcare providers and grocery store workers, who are undoubtedly also experiencing concern for themselves and their own families. To them I say you deserve our deepest gratitude. I can stay home for you. As you battle on the frontline of this surreal viral apocalypse, (and in the words of Effie Trinket,) “May the odds be ever in your favor!”
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Heather Nenadovich is an Oro Valley mom and freelance writer. Her work appeared in LOVE from 2014 through 2015.

Video Message from Mayor Winfield On Covid-19

Mayor Winfield addresses our town
The town issued the following video. In it, Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield explains what The Town of Oro Valley is doing and what you can do to help as we work our way together through the Covid-19 epidemic.

Please do watch the video and read the posting that follows.

We are in this together.

We will win together.
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Oro Valley Issues Proclamation of Emergency

Click to enlarge

March 18 Oro Valley Council Meeting and Other Events Cancelled

WuHan Flu Cancels Many Oro Valley Activities
The Town of Oro Valley is continuously assessing the COVID-19 (coronavirus) situation and following the guidance of state and county health officials. Town leaders are also working with local partners and the Pima County Office of Emergency Management to ensure there is a coordinated, regional response to this pandemic. As new information becomes available, the Town will continue to provide updates on impacts to Town services, facilities, programs and events. In an effort to centralize these updates, a page has been set up on the Town’s website. Please visit www.orovalleyaz.gov/COVID19 for a running list of known cancellations or interruptions of service.

“This continues to be a very fluid situation with new information coming in every day,” said Town Manager Mary Jacobs. “In the coming days and weeks, there may be additional restrictions or closures of Town recreational facilities, or other non-essential service changes. While those changes could happen very quickly, we will provide community updates as soon as possible. Furthermore, we will approach these difficult decisions with the best interest of the community in mind, and we are committed to the continuation of fair refund policies when needed.”

As a friendly reminder, residents are encouraged to conduct business online or via telephone whenever possible. Visit www.orovalleyaz.gov and click “Online Services” in the upper right-hand corner or call 520-229-4712 for assistance.
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Source: Oro Valley Press Release, March 16, 2020