Bits and Pieces

Town Manager to present $130 million recommended budget for next year
Town Manager Jeff Wilkins will present his recommended budget for fiscal year 2026/27 to the Town Council Monday. His request is for $130 million, about $21 million less than the current year. Of the total, about $22.7 million is for the Water Utility, which operates as a separate enterprise fund with its own revenue stream. The remaining spending is for all other Town operations, about $81 million, with capital and other expenditures making up the balance of about $26 million. The Town’s press release describes the budget as a “conservative” response to revenue and cost pressures, while maintaining core services. (Town of Oro Valley Media Release, April 30, 2026 and Town of Oro Valley, Town Manager’s Recommended Budget, April 24, 2026)

Stormwater fee increase begins July 1

The Town of Oro Valley will begin a phased increase to its stormwater utility fee on July 1, the first adjustment in ten years. The three-year plan raises the monthly rate from $4.50 to $6.50 per Equivalent Residential Unit, with residents expected to see an increase of about $0.67 per month in each of the next three years. Town materials state the increase is intended to support long-term maintenance and improvement of stormwater infrastructure and to maintain compliance with regional, state, and federal requirements. (Town of Oro Valley Vista Newsletter, April/May 2026)

Proposed 64 homes requires rezoning
On April 21, Town staff held the first of two neighborhood meetings regarding a proposed rezoning of a 15-acre site on the northwest corner of North Rancho Vistoso Boulevard and Vistoso Commerce Loop. The property is owned by Tom Warren, who purchased it in 2021. He is represented by Brian Underwood of The Planning Center, and the proposed builder is Meritage Homes. The applicant needs the town to rezone the property from campus park industrial to medium-density residential, consistent with its Town’s General Plan designation, so that he can develop up to 64 single-family homes. There will be a mix of one- and two-story units and access from both Vistoso Commerce Loop and Vistoso Village Drive. Neighbors attending the meeting voiced concerns including increased traffic and safety, loss of mountain views, building height and density, impacts to wildlife and neighborhood character, and whether the land should remain available for commercial use that could generate Town revenue. Next steps include submission of a formal application. Learn more about this project here.

Sun City Mayoral forum added local detail to mayoral race

Wednesday’s Sun City mayoral forum covered several topics not discussed at last week’s Chamber event. On improving paths and connectivity along Rancho Vistoso Boulevard, candidate and current Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett pointed to the Town’s adopted Trails Connect plan and identified funding sources. Candidate Mark Napier said he would gather resident input, evaluate needs, and then consider costs in deciding on any request in this area. Both candidates addressed a question on speeding in Sun City, citing enforcement as a key tool. Regarding Town staffing levels, Napier called for a staffing review, while Barrett noted that no new positions are planned in the current five-year forecast. Both candidates said they oppose data centers in Oro Valley.

Historical Society launches digitization project

The Oro Valley Historical Society is moving forward with a project to digitize its collection of artifacts, documents, and photographs. The effort is expected to take place over the coming months, with a new scanner recently purchased to support the work. The organization is seeking volunteers to assist with the project and plans to continue preparing new exhibits and programs for the fall season. If you are interested in helping, email info@ovhistory.org (Oro Valley Historical Society Board Meeting Minutes, April 23, 2026)

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From Frustration to Action: Bohen's Fierce Advocacy For Residents

Insightful perspectives directly from the candidates 

This is the third part of our series on the Sun City Candidate Forum held on June 12. Last week, we wrote about Mo Greene's council goals. Yesterday, we featured Elizabeth Robb's thoughts. Tomorrow we feature Mary Murphy.  Today we feature Tim Bohen, in his own words.

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My first four years on council: From frustration to action
"Why did I get involved in this town when I moved here in 2015? It’s because I was frustrated by town government and in particular what I saw as the indifference and lack of engagement from council members.

As a trained engineer, I saw that a dogged approach to collecting information can give you the solutions to problems you do not think that you can get. You’ve got to define the problem properly and then you have to get all the information that is relevant to solving that problem. It shouldn’t be a solution that is worse than the problem or a solution that does not help anybody, but rather it moves you forward."

I am and will always be an advocate for Oro Valley's residents
"A lot of residents brought a lot of their work and their life experience to Oro Valley and I saw a shocking disregard for resident interest by previous councils. I felt like the only ears that they wanted to talk to were developer ears. Developers got everything they wanted. Oro Valley was never supposed to be a huge place. It’s 15 miles from I-10. We have a rural road network here. What is a rural road network? It is a mile between the major streets -- east and west, and north and south."

My goal is to ensure that our town operates with absolute fiscal responsibility
"I wanted the residents of our town to have a council member, at least one, that is extremely knowledgeable about our Town finances. I attended two of your Sun City board meetings where you guys talked about your golf course and restaurant, and the level of oversight I saw from Sun City was far superior to the level of oversight we engage in, in my opinion, for our restaurant and our golf courses. You have your golf course manager here. You're asking detailed questions every month. We have nothing like that kind of relationship in a much more expensive contract.

Even though you have a restaurant and a golf course here, you're also paying for 45 holes of golf and a restaurant down the road via the half-cent sales tax. That’s about $4 million a year. Divide $4 million a year by 50,000 people, and you're talking $80 a person. You don't realize you're paying that because you pay it in this half-cent sales tax that's attached to everything and that's why I've been such an advocate for having really good oversight over what we spend on that facility."

And I will be sure that you know what is going on
"The final thing I want to do is kind of related to the first two as a council member. I want to be informative. I want to always explain why I think what I think at the council meetings. Why do we have to rely on newspapers and news stations, who's almost never here, to tell us about what's going on in Oro Valley? I think the best source of information for what's happening at a top level are your council members. Your council members should speak freely and in a straightforward way about the financial situation of the town and why we approach things the way we do."

My goal: To make a tangible difference for you in the next four years
"I'm an engineer and naturally curious. I was never involved in local government in any way, shape, or form until I moved here. I experienced real frustrations dealing with this government, and I threw my hat into the ring in 2020. Maybe you see it on the committees for Sun City or Oro Valley. You get involved in things and you see a concrete result for yourself and the people that you represent. I find that enormously satisfying. I really love this job and I ask for the opportunity to continue doing it for four more years."

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