Guest View: Robert Peters ~ Helping Oro Valley restaurants to thrive during the pandemic

 

As a former food writer, I am always drawn to how important food and food preparation is around the holidays. This year was very different from any other year I have experienced in my life, due of course to the pandemic. With many people out of work and their family budgets stretched to the limit, people have been driven to extraordinary means to put food on the table. Witness the car caravans lining up at food banks around the country.

One out of six restaurants nationwide has been forced to close
Tucson has seen its share of Covid-19 related restaurant closures this year, the most recent being Café Poca Cosa and Downtown Kitchen. The majority of the closures have been independently owned eateries, reflecting the difficulty of maintaining this genre of the food business which is already subject to painfully thin profit margins. This situation is also exacerbated by pandemic rules to include capacity limits. In fact, the National Restaurant Association has advised that one out of six restaurants in our nation has closed long-term or permanently because of coronavirus.

What can we do to help?
First of all, don’t give up on your favorite restaurants. Call them and find out what their protocol is for these times. Some establishments have maintained in-house dining with social distancing. Others utilize patio space for outdoor dining only, while others serve only takeout food. Some offer food service in all three of these categories. The important thing is to maintain your relationship with these eateries as much as your Covid-19 comfort zone allows. They will appreciate your business.

Adjust your tip to reflect these challenging times
Finally, with respect to tipping for take-out orders, and regardless of what tradition dictates, these are extraordinary times and food service all over the country has been operating in crisis mode. Paul Bagdan, a professor in the College of Hospitality Management at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island has suggested, “Now, it is strongly advised that you should tip close to that of in-house dining.”

In addition, food delivery service people are potentially putting their own health at risk to deliver to your door. Please keep this in mind when you are tipping them as well.

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Robert Peters relocated to Oro Valley from New England in 2003. Not long after arriving here, he parlayed some prior writing experience into getting his first job in Tucson, writing a weekly restaurant column. Over the course of the next three years, he reviewed over 100 restaurants in the greater Tucson area. He also worked for Raytheon for 12 years, retiring in 2016. He and his wife, Diane, have been frequent contributors to LOVE.

The Watchdog Report: February 2020, The Best Yet. However…

The financials are in for February 2020 and they are the best yet. The Community Center Fund (CCF), with both the contracted (Troon) and Town-sponsored facilities actually made a profit of $2,035. The balance of the CCF through Feb. 2020 is $332,266 which is $34,858 above the forecast.

The total membership of the golf “club” was 262 which was unchanged from January but was 22 more than in February 2019. The total number of non-member rounds was 4,673 which totaled 1,256 more than the same time last year.

The Overlook was budgeted to lose $1,416 in February but actual losses were $5,034. However, this is still much better than last February when they lost $10,871. However, the total Overlook losses so far this fiscal year (July 2019 through February 2020) were $89,185 which is $17,400 more than the forecasted amount of $71,785. The Overlook is currently closed, and, hopefully, will not re-open. The Town is forecasting a CCF surplus over $400,000. Why don’t we use that money to make the Community Center ADA compliant? In fact, of the budgeted $106,500 set aside for capital outlay, only $26,697 has been spent. With the building closed and nobody walking around, this would be a great time to make the facility ADA compliant.

Why do I say, however?
With all this great news, why do I use the word “however” in the title? It’s not because I see the glass as half empty. I say “however” because of the current pandemic.

As of February 2020 ,your sales tax subsidy to the CCF is 3.3% above forecast ($1,728,698). However, according to the recent Financial Report to the Council:

“Due to the impacts from Covid-19, current year end estimates have been revised down $2.3 million from January’s estimate.”

The report goes on to say:

“It is important to note that due to the timing of sales taxes received, forecasted declines may not be seen until as late as May 2020.”

As previously stated in my April 20th Guest View, “Who’s running the Town?” a communication I received from the Town on 7/1/19, stated that there were 13.18 full-time equivalent employees (FTE) at the Overlook (which is now closed). The entire Community Center (which is now closed) employed 73.73 FTE’s. Despite these closures, the town has not furloughed or laid off any employees.

The Town Manager advises us about a future with reduced revenues. Due to the pandemic, Sales Tax, Bed Tax, State Shared Revenues are all going to be less than forecasted in FY 2019/20. It’s time to look at our expenditures and start reducing them. One of the reasons that we elected the “new Council” is because we were looking for fiscal responsibility.
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Mike and his wife have lived in Oro Valley since 1998. He served on the Oro Valley Development Review Board from 2005-2009, the Board of Adjustment from 2011-2012, and the Town Council from 2012-2016. He was named a Fellow for the National League of Cities. He was a member of the NLC Steering Committee for Community and Economic Development and a member of the Arizona League of Cities Budget and Economic Development Committee. He was an Air Traffic Controller for 30 years. Mike has a Bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education from California State University, Northridge.

Guest View: Diane Peters ~ Development In The Time of a Pandemic

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Town, in accordance with maintaining proper social distancing measures, has been forced to consider alternatives for the required Neighborhood Meetings for General Plan Amendments (GPA's). These alternatives will reduce citizen input by a considerable margin.

Two GPA's have recently been filed with the Town. One request is to convert the now-closed Vistoso Golf Course (Romspen property) from golf course and recreational use to medium and high-density residential. (Nearby residents prefer that this land remain as a nature preserve and community trail.)

The other request is to convert 24 acres of land on Tangerine Road just east of First Avenue (Kai Property) from commercial to multi-family residential including rental casitas, 2-story apartments and townhomes, and a senior care facility.

The normal scheme of things
Oro Valley Town Code requires that all General Plan Amendments must be filed prior to April 30th each year.  State law requires that the GPA be heard by the Town Council prior to December 31st of the same year.

Town Code also requires Neighborhood Meetings to apprise nearby residents of the proposal and to afford them an opportunity to ask questions and give input. The first Neighborhood Meeting must be held prior to the applicant filing their formal submission. In other words, before April 30th.

Town code also mandates that “Neighborhood meetings must be held in a facility that is accessible to the general public, such as a town-owned facility, school, house of worship, or community recreation center.”

Enter the pandemic and social distancing
Due to social distancing, the town is not currently able to hold Neighborhood Meetings in a public facility. Some residents have asked the mayor to issue a proclamation whereby the Town could still accept the applications but suspend further action on them until the pandemic subsides. As I write this, the Town has rejected this idea in favor of the use of video meetings.

Some residents contacted the mayor and council with our thoughts on why video meetings were a bad idea. Our thoughts are as follows:

• Video meetings are impractical.
A lot of spontaneous communication takes place at Neighborhood Meetings. An applicant’s answer to one question spurs another question from another participant. Allowing only for questions to be submitted ahead of time completely disallows for this kind of spontaneity, leading to many residents questions being left unanswered.

• Some citizens do not have the hardware/software or the computer expertise to attend a video meeting.
Substituting in-person meetings with video meetings means that less citizens will be involved in the process, they'll have less of a voice in the outcome, and the applicant and landowner will get to have an easy process where they don't have to face down a mob of angry citizens.

• There's power in numbers.
Video meetings minimize the power of the citizens by not allowing them to come together as a group. How can people watching from home be anywhere near as persuasive or effective as they are in a public group setting? Video meetings amount to another form of the divide and conquer technique.

And then there’s this…The golf course meetings precedent
Think about all the 2019 golf course public meetings. All of those meetings were packed and standing room only. Would those residents have been as effective if they were attending those meetings from home rather than showing up en masse, supporting each other and showing their "strength in numbers?" I doubt it.

And just as there were thousands of Canada Hills residents who would be directly affected by the closing of the town-owned golf courses, there are thousands of residents living in Rancho Vistoso who are directly affected by the Romspen proposal to convert their golf course views into something much less desirable. Rancho Vistoso residents should be afforded the same opportunities to come together and voice their concerns as their counterparts in Canada Hills.

A precedent was set in allowing Canada Hills residents to have such a large and unifying voice. To do less for other residents in town is going to be viewed very unfavorably.

And no, I do not live in Rancho Vistoso. I just want a fair and equitable process for everyone.
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Diane Peters has lived in Oro Valley since 2003, moving here to escape the humidity of the East Coast. She’s been involved in OV politics and development issues since 2006. In 2014, she organized a citizens group, who over a 9-month period, successfully negotiated a controversial 200-acre development project. In her past life, she worked in medical research at various University Hospitals in New England. Her interests include reading, writing, nature photography, travel, art galleries, museums, and politics.

Guest View: Mike Zinkin ~ Who’s running the town?

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, we have all been witness to what happens when responsibility without direction is left up to subordinate levels of government. Is Oro Valley any different?

Below are some quotes from both local and national media
April 14, 2020 – the Washington Post: "Local governments generally cannot run deficits, unlike the nation’s capital, leaving them no choice but to slash spending or raise taxes.”

April 16, 2020 – the Arizona Star: “City workers could face furloughs and layoffs as Tucson deals with steep, unexpected revenue losses as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, City Manager Michael Ortega says.”

April 16, 2020 – KGUN TV:  “In a memo Wednesday, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said retail sales in the county are down almost a third this quarter. He says restaurants, bars and hotels are down 70%. Huckelberry says it's likely [that] all state-shared revenues will be down about $11 million, so he's asking all departments to prepare for a 5% cut if economic conditions continue to deteriorate."

The Town has not furloughed or laid off any employees
Does Oro Valley think things will be different here? In a recent communication from the Town Manager, I was informed that the Town has not furloughed or laid off any employees despite the closure of the Community Center and the Overlook Restaurant.

The Town’s Pandemic Leave Policy explains employee entitlements, however, unlike businesses small and large, there is NO money coming to the Town of Oro Valley from the Federal government. This is an unfunded mandate. Additionally, there is nothing in the Town’s Pandemic Leave Policy that precludes reducing the workforce.

Although this is a difficult thing to do (and I am certain I will be chastised by some for mentioning it) Oro Valley has no choice.

Per information obtained in a Public Records Request, as of 7/1/19, there were 13.18 full time equivalent employees (FTE’s) at the Overlook and 73.73 FTE’s employed at the Community Center.

We are just starting to get a look at the February financials in mid-April. However, this financial report will not reflect the economic conditions that we have experienced since February. We won’t see the April financials until June.

Due to the pandemic and resulting economic downturn, sales tax, bed tax, HURF revenues, and State shared revenues are all going to be well below forecast. Therefore, we have no alternative but to reduce our expenditures.

The Town Manager is in charge of the Town’s staffing. As such, she is in a difficult position. On one hand, she needs her staff to know that she is there for them and will do all she can for them. On the other hand, she is responsible to the Council and must show fiscal responsibility, especially during times like this. That is why the Council must take the decision out of her hands and do what is right for the Town of Oro Valley.

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Mike and his wife have lived in Oro Valley since 1998. He served on the Oro Valley Development Review Board from 2005-2009, the Board of Adjustment from 2011-2012, and the Town Council from 2012-2016. He was named a Fellow for the National League of Cities, a member of the NLC Steering Committee for Community and Economic Development, and a member of the Arizona League of Cities Budget and Economic Development Committee. He was an Air Traffic Controller for 30 years. Mike has a Bachelor’s degree in history and government from the University of Arizona and a Master’s degree in Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education from California State University, Northridge.