Four Residents Speak On Issues Important To You

At last week's Oro Valley Town Council meeting, four Oro Valley residents spoke of four different topics. Each topic is important to you as an Oro Valley resident. These are matters on which we have previously reported. We're publishing the comments because they are important to you and because you will never hear them otherwise.



Oro Valley leaders should use valid, documented assumptions when making important decisions

Last week, we reported a dialogue between Paul and Mayor Hiremath.

It was about what has turned out to be an  unsupported assumption that 33% of Oro Valley sales tax revenues come from people who do not reside in Oro Valley. That number was used by the Town and Mayor Hiremath in justifying why a sales tax increase s should be used to fund the El Conquistador Country Club purchase.

As it turns out, the town had no substantiation for the assumption. Mayor Hiremath told Emmert to prove the mayor wrong.

Emmett brings it all to a conclusion in his remarks to council.

The Oro Valley Town Council should not advocate a property tax through Pima County

There is no one on town council advocating for Oro Valley to have its own property tax.

Yet, there are members of this council who enthusiastically hope for a Pima County bond issue that would fund Naranja Park, Steam Pump Ranch and Innovation Park.  All of these are worthy endeavors. However, as resident Geri Ottoboni pointed out to council, all result in a property tax.

As Otoboni points out in her remarks,  Oro Valley residents will pay more than their share of the repayment for the bonds because our property values are much higher most other Pima County communities. This, LOVE has also observed.

Frankly, as Ottoboni notes, we would pay less as individuals if issued bonds, instituted a secondary property tax with a sunset to pay back the debt.  This will likely never happen.

Listen as Otoboni explain the logic. Read our February posting on the matter.

With Golf Course purchased, Oro Valley also gets the liability and the law suits that follow

Resident Don Barnett is a member of the El Conquistador Country Club  discuss the condition of one of bunkers on the course. There are liners in the bunkers.  Barnet was significantly injured when his club hit the liner.

Barnett wants to town to fix the problem, even though the town does not yet own the course. He cautions that serious injuries could result and law suits could follow.

Liability and law suites are one of the unattended consequences of owning a golf course.  Add to this the many issues that will likely be brought to council when something is awry on the golf course; or when the manager of the course, Troon Golf, does not do something a member want them to do.

Train Oro Valley town staff and commissioners on the content of the general plan and "law"

Resident Don Bristow observed that there are some town employees and some members of the Planning and Zoning Commission who don't know the requirements of the general plan or Oro Valley legal zoning requirements (termed: "code").

He had observed a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting where staff failed to provide complete information on these matters and that some on the commission had no idea of the requirements.

Bristow also observes that there have been more than 30 changes on Oro Valley's sign codes since 2010. None were to benefit resident  scenic views or way of life. All of these have been favorable to business.

He wonders why the people's interests, as demonstrated by the  general plan and law are not considered.