In for a penny. In for a pound.”
The expression "In for a penny, In for a pound" means that if you have already committed to doing something, you might as well go all the way and fully commit to it, rather than holding back. That is exactly what the Oro Valley Town Council did last week.
Council approves "Hole 7" bridge replacement...“
Faced with a staff created "emergency," last week the council approved a bridge that will cost $390,000 for the Pusch Ridge 9-hole golf course. This is the same course they narrowly (4-3) voted to keep operating in February. As we reported last week, the "emergency" was created by town staff's failure to personally inspect the facility before the council decision to keep the course open. It was a complete mess-up on the part of Town Manager Wilkins and his staff.
Council rejected staff’s solution
The approval of the bridge replacement is a rejection of the staff’s less costly recommendation in two respects. First, the staff had recommended that the bridge be removed and a walk around through the wash and up the hills be implemented. In addition, the staff wanted to also replace some irrigation piping in doing this. However, the Council approved replacing the bridge. There will be no replacement of irrigation.
Second, staff had recommended that the funds for this project be taken from the general fund of the town. However, the council approved taking the money from the "community center" fund, which has separate sales tax funding. Town staff projects that the balance of the community center fund will be $1 million at the end of the fiscal year after this expenditure.
Second, staff had recommended that the funds for this project be taken from the general fund of the town. However, the council approved taking the money from the "community center" fund, which has separate sales tax funding. Town staff projects that the balance of the community center fund will be $1 million at the end of the fiscal year after this expenditure.
Staff insisted. If you want this bridge you must replace it... not repair it.
The reason the council approved replacing the bridge is that there is no way for town staff to determine what it would cost to repair the bridge. This is because the “bargain" that the town got when it purchased the golf courses in 2016 didn't come with any documentation on the construction of that bridge, or any other bridge on that course, or the irrigation that exists on the course today. So there was no way for staff to determine if the supports would work with a repaired bridge.
Staff rejected the recommendations of residents who spoke at the meeting. According to staff, none of these considered the fully installed cost or the strength of the supports.
Staff rejected the recommendations of residents who spoke at the meeting. According to staff, none of these considered the fully installed cost or the strength of the supports.
$390,000 in the "blink of an eye" won't come so easy in the future....
The town has been spending a tremendous amount of money on parks. It has been flush with cash since it bonded $25 million in funds for parks and received tens of millions of federal dollars for other uses. Those days are past. The 2025 budget will show some of those leftover monies but the majority of town funding will have to come from ongoing revenue sources. And we expect budgets will get tighter as time goes on.
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