LOVE posted previously about the need for Oro Valley to insure that "man's best friend" be properly cared for. Read our 2009 posting regarding then council member Salette Latas' "crusade" to establish some care here in Oro Valley. We even posted regarding Maricopa County's prisoner pet care program. So, when well-respected community resident Barry Gillaspie asked us to post a guest view about ballot Proposition 415 and its impact on Oro Valley we gladly agreed.---
I have pondered for quite some time what to tell folks and in face of the awful, nasty and factually incorrect information that is being put out primarily in the Oro Valley area regarding Proposition 415 which is a proposal to construct a new Animal Care Center for the entire Pima County.
In full disclosure, since retiring from the Council and from my work profession I have begun volunteering at the Animal Care facility on a regular basis. In fact, many residents of Oro Valley volunteer along with myself. I am also proud to let you know that the Town of Oro Valley, in good part, has been key in driving Pima County to improve management, increase efficiency and begin reversing the dire situation at the Care Facility to one that now saves many of the animals that it is required by law to intake. It was just about 6 years ago that the Town of Oro Valley began challenging operations and costs for the facility and even did a study to evaluate the potential for starting its own care facility for animals. The numbers did not pan out; but as a result the County LISTENED!
Today we have an opportunity to do the humane and morally right thing by voting YES on Proposition 415. Unfortunately, there is small minority of people that are opposing this proposition based on misinformation, ignorance and downright nastiness.
Instead of trying to answer each of their claims, I am hopeful that you will take a moment to read this article by Mr. Emil Franzi, a staunch libertarian and conservative. The article begins: "Never has more false information and misplaced vitriol been spread in a local political campaign than is currently being circulated by the opponents to Pima County Prop 415, the proposal to build a new animal care facility."
Please know this: Today there are some 800 people from all walks of life volunteering at the Pima Animal Care Center. It is these citizens along with towns like Oro Valley that have seen the need to modernize this outdated monstrosity of a facility and pushed to place the item on the ballot. This is not pork and not a County boondoggle!
I have served my community for over 30 years in various ways, but I must tell all of you, that this is the most worthwhile effort I have ever been proud to be part of. I know this first hand, I live the horror of watching staff and volunteers work tirelessly to save the lives of helpless animals that are the problem of human conditions not their own.
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Barry Gillaspie is 30 year resident of the Town of Oro Valley. He retired in 2010 after retiring from the Oro Valley Town Council in 2010.
22 comments:
I find it most interesting that this article is based on feelings rather than fact. Everyone I know loves dogs & cats. But they also like to have enough money to pay for their groceries, gas & clothing for their kids or grandkids. Some can't even afford a pet of their own because of the cost. Where are the facts other than political hack Emil Franzi's accusation of "false information?" $22M is a lot of money. I've studied the cost model. There is no mention of the additional operations & maintenance costs that will be incurred & passed on to taxpayers. I, too, have walked dogs at PACC. Most of the dogs are pitbulls & placed there because they've caused problems for owners. There is no mention of how much it will cost to keep those pitbulls alive for yrs on end because no one wants to adopt a dangerous dog. How much more is it going to cost Oro Valleyans on their County property taxes for the bond & the ongoing costs of running a no-kill shelter? How much does OV pay now for animal care services? How much are those costs going to increase & affect our Oro Valley taxes? You were a good councilmember & I can clearly see you have a heart for pets & service to the community. But it seems like you've bought into the rhetoric rather than doing the detailed analyses that you did when on Town Council. My vote is NO because I've done the research myself.
When will it end? Prop 415 is not the right move for Oro Valley, Northwest Tucson or even the entire county. We can't afford it when it is coupled with all of the other debt the BOS and Chuck Huckleberry have proposed and passed. What part of STOP don't people get? The State is facing a $1.6 BILLION deficit because we are in economic trouble as a State. That means we will all be in economic trouble of our own. A no-kill shelter will make us a Detroit in the desert.
Thanks to Barry Gillaspie for taking the time to inform us about Proposition 415. I have already mailed in my ballot and I voted YES!
That's a bunch of crap. It's all about priorities, and what you want your community to be like.
And you call yourself a christian? Worship at the alter of the gold idol?
Mark, but you're all about saving the innocent fetuses, right? Yet you don't consider how much "economic trouble" that causes when women are forced to have babies that they cannot afford to raise and the taxpayers foot the bill, first for the food and clothing and medical care, then for the prison sentences when those unwanted and neglected and uneducated children become angry adults.
Those animals are as innocent as the fetuses you strive to protect.
Are you saying that it's okay to kill babies but not dogs/cats? That you would keep a dog alive for 8 yrs (Over $5,000 annually) in PACC because it had mauled a baby & was therefore unadoptable? That if your house was on fire, you'd save your dog before your child? Birth control is cheap & readily available today with free pills under Obamacare. Unwanted pregnancies should be minimal. The County is to provide animal control, not kennel services for life. And besides, much of these issues are from South Tucson pets - not Oro Valley. I'm tired of paying for everyone else. When Tucson, Green Valley & other communities back out, we will be stuck with the bills.
Let's just waste more money on something more important like another unnecessary soccer field.
I appreciate Mark's concern about cost; unfortunately he is confusing the issue. State debt does not have anything to do with this issue and it is off topic for me to go into explanation on the role the legislature played in causing the problem. However, I should have mentioned the anticipated costs:
Based upon the average Pima County home value of 147,800, it is estimated that the taxpayers will pay $3.90 per year or 33 cents per month. So if your home is about $300,000 per year you would pay about 66 cents a month about $7.80 per year. So if you are fortunate to own a $600,000 home you can estimate about $15.00 per year. Really, we can't afford it?? All costs would likely be paid off in 15 years.
Fitch Ratings and the Standard & Poor's Rating System recently analyzed Pima County's financial position as it relates to the ability to meet debt obligations, a condition that must be met before creating any new debt through borrowing. The reports credit PIma County with adequate budget flexibility, strong liquidity and strong management. High bond ratings allow the County to pay a lower interest rate on its capital program.
If we cannot afford to do the right and humane thing I shudder at where our society is going.
This was sent to me for posting by one of our readers:
"Barry: your message on the LOVE blog was well written, compassionate and sensible. The one thing that helps perspective is cost per household. If people stop to do the math, they realize that cost per household is well within their capacity while not eliminating any donations to Care for the Children; Habitat for Humanity; Homes for Homeless Vets, and so on. Choices are necessary.
Too often people are presented with opportunities to support and the cost of doing so is not addressed. I think at least a projection for the average income household is not unreasonable."
From my comments to Mr. Finchem:
Based upon the average Pima County home value of 147,800, it is
estimated that the taxpayers will pay $3.90 per year or 33 cents per
month. So if your home is about $300,000 per year you would pay about 66 cents a month about $7.80 per year. So if you are fortunate to own a $600,000 home you can estimate about $15.00 per year. Really, we can't afford it?? All costs would likely be paid off in 15 years.
Fitch Ratings and the Standard & Poor's Rating System recently analyzed Pima County's financial position as it relates to the ability to meet debt obligations, a condition that must be met before creating any new debt through borrowing. The reports credit PIma County with adequate budget flexibility, strong liquidity and strong management. High bond ratings allow the County to pay a lower interest rate on its capital program.
If we cannot afford to do the right and humane thing I shudder at where our society is going.
And how about the dog park that isn't ANYWHERE near existence? Now, where on earth are all these adopted pit bulls & rotties going to exercise?
Cowgirl - you are mixing apples & oranges here. Furthermore, dogs & cats aren't given choices in contraception, humans are. Birth control is available & cheap. Abortion is murder.
A fetus is not a baby. I could write a dissertation on this topic but that's not what we're discussing here. I just used it as an example of the hypocrisy.
Don, reread the thread on Prop. 415. Barry G. has responded to your concerns about cost.
So your argument seems to place human life on the same plane as non-human life; the comparison of a dog with a human that might be an "unwanted pregnancy". If that is your position, I can't argue a case so illogical. On the other hand, if you wish to have a no-kill animal shelter, I would be happy to pass no-kill legislation that provides the same protection to an unborn child as an un-adoptable dog.
BTW..."Fetus" in Latin, translates to "young one"; and let's not forget our uS Constitution, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
Ourselves? Those of already born. Posterity? Those of us not yet born. Black's Law Dictionary defines posterity as, "All the decedents of a person"; "those yet to be born".
..ummm... as a true bleeding heart for any and all animals, I refuse to give any more money to Pima County because of their total inability to be fiscally responsible. Especially in the amount of $22million. They cannot fix the roads AS REQUIRED, but yet you are willing to give them that kind of money? And as for the Fitch Ratings and S&P..."The reports credit PIma County with adequate budget flexibility, strong liquidity and strong management..." is the biggest crock I had ever hear of! Because of that statement... I don't think that I could trust anything they rate. I know for sure that I don't trust the BOS to HONESTLY handle that kind of money. I would suggest instead that all the thousands of dollars already donated to just this proposition, I would suggest that those mega donors of PAWS donate the thousands upon thousands of dollars these folks must have, donate the actual money to Pima County Animal Shelter. This way they will know that they have ACTUALLY DONE SOMETHING besides sticking their hands in to our pockets!
Victorian Cowgirl, I would suggest that the gals that can't afford to have their babies... that they would have thought of that beforehand and kept their legs shut!
Victorian Cowgirl... boy! Just when would YOU consider this 'blob' to be a baby?? Would you consider the babies that can breath on their own outside of the womb, but still have their spinal cords cut and snipped before the top of their heads come out so the baby killers (that apparently you support) can claim they were not alive, would THEY be considered babies in your eyes? You and ilk disgust me.
Another idiot!
Hi Don, thanks for the concern and questions. O&M is just as likely to decrease because of a more efficient facility and by the fact that the facility will reduce the man-hours necessary for things like cleaning and disinfection. Obviously this will better help with veterinary related expenses while animals are in detention due to legal mandates. I could go on, but this is so obvious.
PACC is required by law to intake all animals. They cannot discriminate like the Humane Society and other private groups. After all, PACC is charged with protecting public safety.
While many of the dogs placed at PACC are American Staffordshire Terriors or Pit Bulls (the bad name, a pure American breed that is commonly the victim of bad information) they are not the majority. Pure breed dogs and all the other cross breeds that are POPULAR get snatched immediately to rescues. Why; PACC works with approximately 70 rescue groups including the Humane Society to place animals in homes.
It is true that there can be large numbers of American Staffordshire Terrior mixes in the facility at anyone time but but you should also know that aggressive animals of all types are euthanized.
This past weekend a bit over 200 animals were adopted out of PACC, hardly testimony that we are housing animals that cannot be adopted.
Hello All,
We are closing commenting on this post. It was not intended to become a place to whip everyone into a frenzy. It was posted to allows views of substance to be shared on a topic that does impact Oro Valley residents.
if we can not be civil with each other then we will not discourse on this subject.
Chill.
Have a nice day.
The LOVE Team
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