Bits and Pieces

Jesse James Ivey laid to rest

We are deeply saddened to share that Council Member Joyce Jones-Ivey laid her beloved husband, Jesse, to rest on Wednesday. During this time of profound loss, we extend our heartfelt condolences, prayers, and unwavering support to Council Member Jones-Ivey and her family. May they find comfort in cherished memories, strength in the love that surrounds them, and peace in the days ahead.

Historical society seeking board member
The Oro Valley Historical Society is seeking a new member to serve on its Board following the announcement that Sue Chambasian is stepping down. President Bob Kellar is inviting volunteers who want to help shape the Society’s future to consider taking part in the decision-making process. The Board meets once a month at the Oro Valley Public Library, typically for two to two and a half hours, with several additional hours of preparation. The Society hopes to identify a candidate by its annual Board meeting on March 26, 2026. Those interested are encouraged to contact the president directly to learn more. (Source: Oro Valley Historical Society email)

Upcoming features on council hopefuls

Six individuals are currently gathering at least 525 signatures to qualify for one of the three Town Council seats on the ballot this fall. In the coming days, we will publish daily features on each potential candidate. These profiles will provide a clear look at their backgrounds, reasons for running, and priorities for Oro Valley, giving readers an opportunity to learn more about the people seeking to represent them.

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RTA Next: A 20-Year Transportation Decision Now Before Voters

Ballot includes two related propositions
If you are a registered voter, you will receive a ballot by mail that includes two related propositions. Both measures concern something called RTA Next. One would authorize continuing the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) program that has funded road and transportation projects across Pima County for the past 20 years. The second would continue the one-half-cent sales tax that funds those projects. Both propositions must pass for RTA Next to take effect. If approved, the new plan would begin on July 1. If either fails, the current RTA program will expire, and any future proposal would likely return to voters at a later date in revised form.

RTANext will build road and transportation projects throughout the county
The Regional Transportation Authority funds a range of transportation projects intended to address needs that extend beyond individual jurisdictions. Under the proposed RTA Next plan, funding would support roadway and multimodal corridor improvements, arterial and collector road rehabilitation,

intersection and school safety projects, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, wildlife crossings, environmental mitigation projects, and transit services. Transit funding includes bus service, dial-a-ride and paratransit programs, express routes, and other regional transit enhancements. The plan also includes funding for debt service and administration. All projects are financed through a voter-approved one-half-cent sales tax collected countywide. If renewed, the tax is projected to fund approximately $2.67 billion in transportation improvements over the next 20 years.

Oro Valley’s participated in the 2005 RTA program
Within this structure, the Town of Oro Valley participates as one of the jurisdictions eligible to receive RTA funding for projects that meet regional criteria. Under the original RTA program, projects in Oro Valley included the widening of La Cholla Boulevard and major improvements along La Cañada Drive, both important regional corridors. In addition to roadway improvements, RTA funding supports regional transit services operating in Oro Valley, including dial-a-ride and other transit connections that supplement the Town’s locally funded transit system. The Town remains responsible for its own local transit services, neighborhood streets, and routine maintenance.

Proposed projects will affect Oro Valley
RTA Next identifies specific transportation projects to be funded over the next 20 years. Projects affecting Oro Valley include the proposed connection of Shannon Road to Tangerine Road. Other proposed regional projects that would affect Oro Valley residents include widening First Avenue between Ina and Orange Grove, constructing a new interchange at Tangerine Road and Interstate 10, and widening Oracle Road between Oracle and La Cholla. Final scheduling and delivery of these projects would occur over the life of the plan.

Negative impact on Oro Valley and regional transit services if RTANext fails
Probably of greater immediate importance is the funding of certain transit services operating in Oro Valley. Currently, the Regional Transportation Authority funds most of the cost of Sun Shuttle dial-a-ride and other regional transit services serving the Town. If RTA Next is not approved, that funding authority will expire after June 30, and RTA-funded transit services would be required to discontinue. It is not known what it would cost for the Town of Oro Valley to replace those services, or whether it could do so quickly, as additional funding, vehicles, drivers, and state-level approvals would be required. No formal cost estimate has been released.

Expecting low voter turnout...so your vote will count
Turnout for the March 10 election is expected to be relatively low, with estimates suggesting that approximately 20–25% of eligible voters may cast a ballot. At that level, the outcome of the RTA Next propositions will be determined by a relatively small share of the electorate. Ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on March 10.

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Council Lists Criteria as Oro Valley Weighs Tourism Strategy

Draft tourism plan reviewed by Town Council
The Oro Valley Town Council held a study session last week to review a draft Leisure Travel Destination Management Plan, a long-range strategy intended to guide how the Town approaches tourism over the next decade. Presented by consultant CSL International, the plan reflects earlier input from residents, stakeholders, the Tourism Advisory Commission (TAC), and Council members. The draft emphasizes leisure-based tourism (outdoor recreation, wellness, arts and culture, events, and culinary experiences) rather than business or convention travel. The plan frames tourism as a way to enhance resident quality of life rather than simply increase visitor volume.

Council sets criteria for what will be done
Much of the discussion centered not on the overall vision, but on how the plan’s recommendations would be prioritized, funded, and phased. Council Member Mary Murphy outlined three criteria she was using to evaluate the draft plan: Whether recommendations put residents first; whether the fiscal impact and long-term financial responsibility are clear; and whether there is accountability in what the Town is

being asked to do. Other Council members agreed with those criteria. Council Member Elizabeth Robb then added three additional considerations: The need for clear sequencing; whether the Town has the capacity and staff to carry out the recommendations; and whether proposed actions are sustainable over time. Together, these six criteria will likely shape future Council discussions about the plan.

Visit Tucson discussion clarified scope and intent
Council members also discussed why Oro Valley ended its formal relationship with Visit Tucson and what that decision means going forward.  That discussion was not about reopening the decision, but about making sure the draft plan is evaluated with a clear understanding of what Oro Valley does and does not intend to do going forward.

The discussion made clear that the Town does not intend to replicate Visit Tucson’s role or scale, particularly its convention, meetings, and large-group sales functions. Instead, Oro Valley’s approach is focused on smaller-scale, leisure-oriented tourism that aligns with the community’s character and existing assets. 

Council members emphasized that the plan is not about building a destination marketing organization comparable to Visit Tucson, but about developing a strategy tailored to Oro Valley’s size, priorities, and fiscal capacity.

Aspirational ideas are not near-term actions
The draft plan includes a set of longer-term “big ideas,” such as expanded cultural venues, enhanced event programming, and new destination-defining spaces. Council members emphasized that these concepts are aspirational and do not represent approved projects or commitments. Any such ideas would need to return to Council with detailed cost, feasibility, and operational information before moving forward.

TAC review reflected more caution than Council summary
Several of the concerns raised by the Tourism Advisory Commission (TAC) closely mirrored the evaluation criteria Council members said they were using during the study session. TAC reviewed the plan the previous week. The TAC comments on the draft plan was presented to Council as having been completed and incorporated into the materials, and that description was accurate as far as it went. 

However, the TAC’s January 26 discussion reflected a more mixed and cautionary review than was conveyed in the summary presented to Council. While commissioners offered technical and prioritization comments that were incorporated into the draft, several also said they were uncomfortable moving forward with the plan as written and questioned whether the Town is prepared to implement it at this time. Those commissioners raised concerns about staffing capacity, cost, and the pace of moving ahead following the Town’s decision to end its relationship with Visit Tucson. The commission did not vote to reject the plan and took no formal position, as its role is advisory, but the individual concerns expressed went beyond technical edits and were not fully reflected in the high-level summary presented to Council.

Next steps
Because the item was a study session, no action was taken. Staff will compile Council feedback and use it to revise the draft plan. Any future decisions related to funding, governance, or implementation will return to Council as separate agenda items.

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Jaeger Sees Gloomy Future For Amphi School District Enrollment

Anticipates substantial  enrollment decline until 2050
Amphitheater Public Schools Superintendent Todd Jaeger told the Oro Valley Town Council last Wednesday that the district faces a prolonged and significant decline in student enrollment, with long-term implications for the size and structure of the school system. Citing demographic data, Jaeger said Arizona’s birth rate has dropped by about 38 percent over the past two decades—roughly double the national decline—and that district demographers do not expect that trend to reverse until around 2050. As a result, he said Amphitheater is likely to become a district roughly half its current size over time.

Don’t expect property taxes to decline
Jaeger explained that student enrollment—rather than the number of school buildings a district operates—is what drives school funding and property tax rates. Arizona’s public schools are funded through a per-student state equalization formula that combines local property taxes with state funding to provide a similar base level of funding per student across districts, regardless of local property wealth. As a result,

property taxes raised in wealthier communities help support school funding statewide, and closing schools does not reduce property taxes. Jaeger noted that Amphitheater has lowered its tax rate in recent years, but as enrollment declines, the district receives less state funding overall, with local tax amounts remaining tied to the state funding formula rather than to individual school closures.

Public schools losing students to “school choice” options
Jaeger briefly referenced Arizona’s school voucher program, known as the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program, noting that the expansion of school choice options is one of several factors contributing to enrollment pressures facing public school districts. The ESA program allows families whose children are not enrolled in public schools to use up to 90 percent of the state funding that would otherwise have gone to their public school district for private school tuition or homeschooling expenses. Although Jaeger did not quantify the financial impact, ESA participation has grown rapidly since the program became universally available to K–12 families in 2022. Enrollment now exceeds 100,000 ESA students statewide, shifting a significant number of student dollars out of traditional public school districts.

Other Pima County "shrinking" school districts are taking different path than Amphi...
Five other districts in Pima County have experienced enrollment declines but have avoided consolidation. Like Amphi, they have taken cost-containment measures to stabilize finances and maintain services, including staffing adjustments, slowing or freezing hiring, and repurposing underused space. Some, however, have also pursued enrollment-focused strategies, such as emphasizing open enrollment, developing specialized or magnet-style programs, or forming charter or community partnerships to keep campuses open. 

Amphi’s approach has differed in that it has focused on addressing the cost side of declining enrollment, and not on strategies aimed at stabilizing or growing enrollment.

Copper Creek lease agreement with ASDB moved quickly
Jaeger appeared before Council at the request of a council member to provide an update on the closure of Copper Creek Elementary and related district actions. He told the Council that after the governing board voted to close Copper Creek as a neighborhood school, the district made a deliberate decision to ensure the campus would not sit vacant and instead pursued a lease that would keep the site in educational use. He said that following the board’s closure decision, the Arizona School for the Deaf and the Blind approached the district, toured several closing campuses, and ultimately entered into a five-year lease for the entire Copper Creek site, which was formally approved by the governing board in late January.

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Bits and Pieces

Oro Valley to get $7 million federal grant for La Canada bridge work 

Town Manager Jeff Wilkins announced Wednesday that Congressman Juan Ciscomani was successful in his efforts to get Oro Valley $7milllion for bridge repairs. The appropriation is included in the Congressional funding bill that is awaiting President Trump's signature. This funding has been years in the making.  This is, indeed, good news. 

Street condition survey underway to guide future pavement planning
The Town of Oro Valley has begun a comprehensive inventory of all Town-maintained roads. The town has engaged a specialized contractor to collect detailed imagery of pavement and transportation assets throughout the community. Over the next week or so, residents may notice data-collection vans driving local streets during daylight hours. The information gathered will be used by Town staff to evaluate current road conditions and update the Pavement Preservation Program. Town Manager Jeff Wilkins said the effort supports Oro Valley’s long-standing, proactive approach to pavement management, helping maintain some of the best roads in the region. The project is funded through Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF). These are state-shared revenues distributed to cities and towns to pay for street and roadway construction, maintenance, and transportation-related improvements.  (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

"Crimefighter" focuses on crime prevention, digital safety, and community education

The Oro Valley Police Department’s January/February CrimeFighter newsletter highlights several community safety priorities, including steps residents can take to reduce package theft, guidance for families on safer internet use as artificial intelligence becomes more common online, and upcoming public engagement programs. The newsletter also promotes OVPD’s women-only automotive care classes, answers common traffic and vehicle-related questions from residents, and provides crime statistics for the final quarter of 2025 (panel right), offering a snapshot of calls for service and reported incidents. Several community events and safety programs are also listed, reinforcing OVPD’s focus on crime prevention, education, and outreach. (Source)

Former Oro Valley town manager Greg Caton at center of escalating Scottsdale leadership dispute

Former Oro Valley Town Manager Greg Caton is the City Manager of Scottsdale. He is involved in a dispute with Mayor Lisa Borowsky. The conflict intensified in mid-January after Caton placed the mayor’s chief of staff, R. Lamar Whitmer, on paid suspension pending an internal personnel investigation, prompting Borowsky to accuse Caton of undermining her office and to suggest she may seek his resignation. City officials have declined to release details, citing the ongoing investigation, while Caton’s administration has said the action was required under city policy. Whitmer, a longtime Scottsdale political consultant and adviser with past involvement in high-profile and controversial development proposals, is not a low-profile staff member, giving the suspension broader political significance. Caton served as Oro Valley town manager from 2011 to 2016, later held senior management roles in Grand Junction and Durango, Colorado, and joined Scottsdale as assistant city manager in 2024 before being promoted to city manager the following year. (Source: News Reports)

Cycling partnership between Oro Valley and Marana seen as first of several joint economic efforts

The Town of Oro Valley and the Town of Marana have formalized a long-standing collaboration by approving an intergovernmental agreement that establishes a regional bicycling partnership focused on tourism and economic activity. The agreement builds on years of joint efforts, including events such as the Tucson Bicycle Classic and other regional cycling initiatives, and provides a framework for coordinated planning, marketing, and evaluation of economic impacts. Speaking to the Town Council on Wednesday, Economic Development Director Paul Melcher said he hopes that this bicycling partnership will be just one of multiple economic development activities Oro Valley will pursue with Marana, signaling a broader regional approach to future collaboration. (Source: Town of Oro Valley 2-4-26 Town Council Meeting and Oro Valley Media Release)

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Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary With Oro Valley Historical Society

Celebrating America’s 250th anniversary in Oro Valley

Hi, Oro Valley! Are you enjoying the Semiquincentennial festivities taking place across Arizona? There is much happening to mark the 250th anniversary of our nation’s birth, and you can begin celebrating right here in Oro Valley.

February highlights in OVHS’s 20th anniversary year
Last month, we shared a snapshot of our 20th anniversary year. This month, the Oro Valley Historical Society highlights what is planned for the community in February.

Semiquincentennial exhibit at Steam Pump Ranch
Activities begin at historic Steam Pump Ranch, where the Pusch House Museum features an exhibit explaining why the nation is celebrating the Semiquincentennial. Visitors will learn who was involved, the ideas that shaped the movement, the challenges faced, and the journey toward independence from the United Kingdom. This exhibit will be available each Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon through February 21. After that date, the focus will shift to how the Semiquincentennial relates to the state of Arizona, with the new exhibit available for the remainder of the month. Volunteers will be on site each Saturday to provide information and answer questions. Self-guided tours are complimentary, with donations gratefully accepted.

Valentine’s Day walking tours and Heritage Garden visit
On Valentine’s Day—and Arizona’s birthday—February 14, the Society’s naturalist will lead two gentle, hour-long walking tours of the Ranch at 9:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The tours explore the geology, flora, and fauna of the Sonoran Desert while also sharing stories of the people who lived on the Ranch beginning in the late 1800s. Tours conclude in the Society-maintained Heritage Garden, where visitors can see winter crops and walk through a replica of a Hohokam pithouse.

Community donations supporting local non-profits
Also on February 14, GAP Ministries will return to the Ranch seeking donations of resealable bags (such as Ziploc), canned vegetables, and dish soap for its kitchen. GAP Ministries will return again on February 21 to collect the same items and will be joined by Habitat for Humanity, which will accept donations of household items ranging from furniture to floor coverings. Visit www.ovhistory.org for details on how to support these non-profits through the Society’s “Be Our Ranch Guest” program.

Historical presentation at Oro Valley Public Library
Away from the Ranch but nearby, the Oro Valley Public Library will host a presentation on Friday, February 27, at 3:00 p.m. Royal John Medley, a board member of the Oracle Historical Society, will speak about Earl Francis Linwood, an Oracle resident until 1966. Known for marching to his own beat, Linwood’s story is one attendees will not want to miss. As with all Oro Valley Historical Society events, the presentation is complimentary, with donations gratefully accepted.

Join the celebration locally
Whether at Steam Pump Ranch or the Oro Valley Public Library, the Oro Valley Historical Society invites the community to join in celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday.
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Independent Auditor Says Oro Valley Faces No Immediate Financial Difficulties

Audit report looked T town's financial condition
Assertions by some that the Town is operating in a fiscally irresponsible manner or facing financial trouble are not supported by the audit record. Over the past eight years, including the most recent audit, the town's independent auditors has consistently issued clean "going concern" opinions. They have not identified any condition suggesting financial distress. 

Foresees no immediate cause for concern

The Town’s independent auditor, Brian Hemmerle of the audit firm of Baker Tilly LLP, presented the results of Oro Valley’s fiscal year 2024–25 audit to the Town Council and earlier to the Budget and Finance Commission.  The audit addressed whether there are conditions that could impair the Town’s ability to continue operating and meeting its obligations. Hemmerle found no such conditions. 

While the audit does not predict long-term policy outcomes, the auditor identified no financial difficulties or financial problems facing the Town in the immediate future.

Rumors of future financial problems are based on a long-term forecast and not on audit findings
The only forward-looking concern that has been raised comes from a five financial forecast prepared by the Town’s finance staff, which showed a potential revenue shortfall of four years from now. That forecast formed the basis for a staff request that the Town Council consider new taxes, proposals that the Council ultimately rejected.  Financial forecasts are inherently sensitive to assumptions and are not audit findings. In addition, the further out the projection, the less likely it is to occur. To date, nothing in the Town’s audited financial results or the opinion of the town outside auditor indicates current or near-term financial trouble.

The audit affirmed that the town is on solid financial footing, spending well below its expenditure limit and...
As part of the audit, the auditor also reviewed the Town’s compliance with Arizona’s voter-approved expenditure limitation. He reported that Oro Valley remained well below its authorized spending limit for the fiscal year, meaning the Town did not approach or exceed the legal cap on expenditures. In addition, the auditor stated that he identified no conditions or events that would raise substantial doubt about the Town’s ability to meet its obligations and continue operating as required over the applicable look-ahead period. Together, these findings indicate that the Town not only complied with its legal spending limits but also demonstrated the financial capacity to meet its ongoing commitments.

...with strong reserves

The audited financial report also shows that the Town ended the fiscal year with a General Fund balance of $20.7 million, equal to about 39 percent of annual General Fund expenditures. This reserve level is well above the Town Council’s adopted policy threshold of 25 percent. While auditors do not set or evaluate reserve policy, they do verify that reported balances are accurate and available. The absence of any audit findings or concerns related to reserves indicates that the Town’s General Fund balance is correctly reported and provides a substantial financial cushion to manage revenue fluctuations, unexpected costs, or economic uncertainty.

A "Clean Opinion: " The financial results as reported can be relied upon

Hemmerle reported that the Town received an unmodified, or “clean,” audit opinion. This opinion confirms that the Town’s financial results are accurately reported, free of material misstatement, and prepared in accordance with required accounting standards. The audit does not evaluate policy choices or future decisions, but it does confirm that the numbers relied upon by residents, council, and outside parties are reliable.
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