Too many Pima County roads are in poor to mediocre condition. But this problem confronts every community in the state. The American Society of Engineers recently found in its 2013 report card that 52 percent of roads throughout Arizona are in poor to middling condition, sticking motorists across the state with $887 million in repair and operating costs.

Huckelberry sent letters Friday to the Tucson Metro Chamber and seven other local chambers, as well as to the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, the Southern Arizona Leadership Council, Metropolitan Pima Alliance and the Tucson Utility Contractors Association.

“This is an issue that should resonate with the business community,” Huckelberry said. “Developing real growth and a vibrant economy remains our top focus – and that is contingent on having a strong, efficient network of roads that provides accessibility and saves time and costs. Now is the time to make sure we’re making wise investments in infrastructure that will advance our economic recovery and stimulate job growth.”

The Pima County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution May 21 that called upon the Legislature to take the following actions to address the very real gaps in road funding:

• Stop diverting tax dollars that were supposed to come to transportation departments for road improvements, and reimburse Pima County for the $38 million that has been siphoned away since 2002;
• Continue the one-cent per gallon tax that currently goes to underground storage tank remediation but, instead, direct it to road repair and maintenance;
• Increase the state gasoline tax by 10 cents per gallon to bring the state more in line with the gas tax levied in surrounding states;
• Seek other available opportunities to identify resources for roads.

Huckelberry called upon the business organizations to use their considerable clout to push state leaders for a solution. “The reality is there aren’t revenues to support the systems we have in place, let alone fund new ones that will support our needs in the future. We can’t afford to wait any longer to have this discussion.”

To read his comprehensive transportation funding report, please visit http://www.pima.gov/Administration/bd-transportation%20funding%20report.pdf

Memorial Day is a Pima County holiday, so volunteers help make sure our dogs don’t have to stay in their kennels all day without exercise and attention.

The volunteers at Pima Animal Care Center are hosting a Memorial Day Dog Walk and are asking for the community’s help. The walk begins at 8 a.m. and runs until about 10 a.m.

We haven’t had as many volunteers sign up as we typically do for our holiday walks so we would love to encourage some more folks to lace up some tennis shoes.

Not only is it a great way to reflect on the freedoms we have to participate in causes we care about, thanks to our veterans, but it’s also a good cause and a lot of fun.

If you like zippy, high-energy dogs, we’ve got ’em. If you would prefer a more leisurely pace around the scenic Silverbell Lake, we’ve got plenty of dogs to match your pace. Our volunteers will help you make the right match.

Please RSVP to volunteer Jack Neuman at jacneu@yahoo.com. Cans of dog or cat food are always appreciated, as are used blankets and towels. And if you have your own slip leads or leashes, feel free to bring them.

For those interested in becoming a more permanent volunteer, we offer ongoing open houses to provide all the information you need about participating in our Volunteer Program. The open houses run approximately 45 minutes. An open house will be held following the dog walk at 11 a.m.

For more information, or a schedule of upcoming events, please visit www.pima.gov/animalcare or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, José Ocaño, at 520-243-5920.

Similarly, the average taxpayer would pay essentially the same amount they paid last year.

Even though the adopted tentative budget anticipates a $3.71 ceiling on the primary property tax rate – which is higher than the existing $3.41 rate – the reduction in property values will offset that.

To be clear, the Pima County Board of Supervisors may not ultimately adopt the $3.71 rate when they finalize the budget on June 18. The vote was a procedural mechanism to make sure there was cushion in the budget in case Supervisors decided to further invest in key issues such as road repairs.

The average homeowner, with a property value of $155,834 in 2012, can expect in to see their assessed value drop to $144,835.

That homeowner, who saw a tax bill of $749 in 2012, would see a tax bill of $742 next year.

Even under the potential rate increase, Pima County would collect slightly less in property taxes overall next year. The entire amount of property taxes collected in the current fiscal year is $386.8 million.  The levy amount that would be collected if the tentative tax rate holds would be $386.4 million.

The adopted tentative budget is lower by 14 percent than the budget of six years ago when the recession began. In that time, budgets for General Fund departments have been cut 11.5 percent since Fiscal Year 2007/08, and the County workforce has shrunk by 12.8 percent.

The approval, which came on a 3-2 vote, sets an upper “ceiling” for the budget, which caps the total budget allocation as well as the proposed property tax levy. The board can reduce the expenditures or transfer funds among agencies, as appropriate, but cannot increase the budget prior to adoption of the final budget on June 18.

The adopted tentative budget is $3.9 million higher than the budget recommended by the County Administrator in late April, but still lower by 14 percent than the budget of six years ago when the recession began. In that time, budgets for General Fund departments have been cut 11.5 percent since Fiscal Year 2007/08, and the County workforce has shrunk by 12.8 percent.

In a procedural vote, Supervisors indicated that while they may not ultimately adopt a budget at the higher amount, it will provide additional flexibility as they weigh pressing needs, such as transportation improvements as well as considering appropriate levels of compensation for public safety employees, including the Sheriff’s Department.

While the sales tax and vehicle license tax are beginning to recover, the market value of existing property in the County is anticipated to decrease 8 percent next fiscal year. That decrease in values will offset the potential increase in the primary property tax rate, ensuring a “revenue neutral” tax levy, as determined by Truth in Taxation limits.

Among key priorities, the County budget would :

• Invest $5 million to fix and maintain approximately 100 miles of County roads;
• Supplement the Sheriff’s and County Attorney’s offices by $4 million to replace declining federal and state revenues;
• Replace $4 million that would be lost to the general fund because of declining property values;
• Afford a 1 percent cost-of-living adjustment for employees at the beginning of the fiscal year, with 2 percent to follow at the start of 2014. Employees have not received an across-the-board compensation increase since Fiscal Year 2007/08, with the exception of a 1 percent adjustment related to increased retirement contributions in Fiscal Year 2011/12. 

Please review the proposed budget at http://www.pima.gov/finance/RecBdgt/2013-2014/index.html

Don’t stop now. Adopt for $12 to save 12,000

Pima Animal Care Center thanks the community for making our annual adoption event, Monsoon Muttness, such a success.

During the Saturday event, 96 pets were adopted and another 27 went home through rescue organizations, for a grand total of 123 in a single day.

It was the largest adoption event of the fiscal year ending June 30, and the third-largest in recent history, only following the initial launch of Monsoon Muttness 11 years ago and just behind last year’s 139.

We couldn’t do the work we do without our dedicated volunteers or our compassionate and devoted rescue partners – or without our customers, who know there are great pets of all shapes, sizes, colors and ages that need new homes.

For those who missed the adoption event, there are plenty of great pets still available. In fact, dozens of new animals come in every day. Plus, as an added bonus as we work to save 12,000 animals this fiscal year, we have reduced our adoption fee to $12 until June 30.

Come visit our Silverbell adoption center to see if your new family member is waiting.

Photo courtesy of Ann-Eve Cunningham

For those who would like to honor the day with community service, Pima Animal Care Center is hosting a volunteer dog walk and cat cuddle on Monday, May 27, beginning at 8 a.m. on Memorial Day. Our adoption center is closed for the holiday, so volunteers help us make sure our pets get plenty of exercise and attention.

Not a trained volunteer? No problem. Experienced volunteers will help you have a fun, safe time, especially since our pets love to explore Silverbell Lake, right behind our adoption center. Refreshments are provided.

Please RSVP to volunteer Jack Neuman at jacneu@yahoo.com. Cans of dog or cat food are always appreciated, as are used blankets and towels. And if you have your own slip leads or leashes, feel free to bring them.

For those interested in becoming a more permanent volunteer, we offer ongoing open houses to provide all the information you need about participating in our Volunteer Program. The open houses run approximately 45 minutes. An open house will be held following the dog walk at 11 a.m.

For more information, or a schedule of upcoming events, please visit www.pima.gov/animalcare or contact our Volunteer Coordinator, José Ocaño, at 520-243-5920.

The Tuberculosis Clinic is open 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 12:00-4:00 p.m. Tuesday, and is closed on Thursdays. TB skin tests are $15 and available on a walk-in basis during clinic hours.

For more information, call the Health Department’s Tuberculosis Clinic at (520) 243-8450.

The Board agreed on a 4-1 vote to a series of actions outlined by County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, including continuing to allocate $5 million annually from the general fund, over and above what the Department of Transportation already sets aside for road maintenance.

The board also agreed to ask the Legislature to consider:

• Returning some or all of the $39 million in state-shared revenues swept from Pima County over the past decade to help shore up the state budget;
• Maintaining an existing one-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax currently earmarked for the cleanup of underground storage tanks, but steering it instead to pavement repair and maintenance;
• Raising the state gas tax by 10 cents to come into line with surrounding states. Arizona’s gasoline tax is 19 cents per gallon, which has remained the same since 1991.

The County Administrator commended the Board for its work to improve transportation. The Board last year steered $20 million into road repair, in addition to routine expenditures, by using fund balances and general fund monies. But even that significant investment addressed just 8 percent of the County’s overall road repair price tag, Huckelberry cautioned. Even though the County has spent $289 million on improving road capacity over the past five years, and has “done a good job of scrounging and getting every dollar we can,” he said maintenance issues remain thorny.

“We can work around the edges of this problem, but all we can do is put Band-Aids on things for the next couple years unless we confront our problems in a straightforward manner,” he said.

The Board also agreed to continue exploring any other revenue streams that might make sense. Supervisor Richard Elías noted that the same dollar of revenues in 1991 can now only buy 51 cents of highway improvements, given inflation. “It’s a difficult situation.”

While it’s clear there is no overnight fix, Supervisor Sharon Bronson said the conversation needs to begin. “If we don’t have that courage to start the conversation, we’re never going to solve the problem.”

To read the full report, please visit http://www.pima.gov/Administration/bd-transportation%20funding%20report.pdf.

El Rio’s dental team will offer free screenings and fluoride varnish treatments and the Lions Club will provide free vision screening to all school-age children.  Tucson Medical Center will be offering a limited number of free booster seats to qualified families.  AHCCCS providers and the Pima Community Access Program (PCAP) will be on site providing information about how to apply for services for those families who may qualify and currently have no medical coverage.

The events will be hosted at several Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson locations. The committee has expanded services this year to include Tucson’s west side. A total of four immunization clinics will be offered.  The legal parent or guardian must be present. Children should bring their shot records and insurance cards if they have insurance. Call 520-243-7736 or visit www.elriofoundation.org or www.pimahealth.org for more information.

SCHEDULE OF TUCSON EVENTS

July 18, 2013 ● 3 to 6 pm ● Steve Daru Clubhouse ● 1375 North El Rio Drive, 85745

July 25, 2013 ● 3 to 6 pm ● Jim & Vicki Click Clubhouse ● 1935 S. Columbus Blvd, 85712

July 27, 2013 ● 10 to 2 pm ● Holmes Tuttle Clubhouse ● 2585 E. 36^th Street, 85713

Aug. 3, 2013 ● 10 to 2 pm ● Roy Drachman Clubhouse ● 5901 S. Santa Clara Road, 85706

El Rio Community Health Center is the largest provider of medical and dental services to uninsured and Medicaid populations in Pima County. With 17 sites in Tucson, El Rio serves the medical and dental needs of more than 79,000 patients annually. El Rio employs over 800 people with an annual budget of over $90 million dollars. A national model of health care excellence, El Rio’s mission is to “improve the health of our community through comprehensive, accessible, affordable, quality and compassionate care.” www.elrio.org

Staff at Pima Animal Care Center would love to never have to euthanize another animal again, except to end severe or terminal suffering.

It’s the hardest part of our job. And while we are making progress, we’re not there yet.

June 11 will mark Just One Day, a national movement promoting a one-day moratorium on euthanasia in order to highlight the need to find homes for homeless animals.

Pima Animal Care Center practices this moratorium on each of the 10 County holidays. With the exception of ending suffering, we will fulfill that goal again on June 11, as well as on the date of our large annual adoption event, Monsoon Muttness, coming up this Saturday, May 18.

To be clear, there is no “clock” ticking on healthy, adoptable animals. We will keep them indefinitely as long as an animal shows no sign of illness or injury or aggression. Last fiscal year, ending June 30, Pima Animal Care Center took in more than 24,000 animals. Think about that for a minute. Imagine taking in 65 pets every day of the year. Or visualize it this way: McKale Center, filled, seats fewer than 15,000.

Although approximately 13,000 animals were euthanized, we’re on pace to make significant improvement this year. We have a strong rescue program, thanks to the work of our energetic and compassionate rescue partners. We routinely run specials to help our animals find homes faster. We are working to organize more events in the community. In all, our save rate to date this year is 63 percent – up 10 percent over this time last year. It needs to be better.

This is a plea for the community’s help. We can certainly put more donations and more volunteers to good use, but what we really need are two main things:

• Please spay and neuter your pets to keep animals out of our shelter in the first place. When a mother with six babies shows up at our door, that means we now need as many as seven homes – not just the one.
• And to help those that are here, please remember us when you’re looking for a pet. Our pets wag, wiggle and purr with the best of them and we have them in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages. In fact, if you’re considering a pet, head over for our Monsoon Muttness event on Saturday. We’ll have family fun, food and great specials from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

It will take all of us working together to save more lives. Please join us.