With a $268 million price tag to bring roads throughout Pima County up to standard, Pima County Supervisors gave the nod Tuesday to pursue a host of solutions that could help secure additional resources.

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.

New inflatable ship at Flowing Wells Pool

Get a head start on swim season at the Grand Reopening of the Flowing Wells Pool, 4545 N. La Cholla Blvd., on Saturday, May 18.

Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, District 3, and Dr. Nicholas Clement, the superintendent of the Flowing Wells Unified School District, will speak at 10 a.m. followed by a free public swim until 1 p.m.

The pool at Flowing Wells Junior High School was upgraded during the off season. Improvements include:

• New filtration system.
• New tile and plaster in the pool.
• New pool deck and perimeter pool fence.
• Two additional permanent shade structures.

You can’t miss the inflatable ship!

Pool Season

Pima County’s seasonal swimming pools will open Memorial Day weekend – Saturday, May 25 – and be open through Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 2. (The Ajo pool will open for Memorial Day weekend, close and then reopen on June 1, 2013, for the remainder of summer.)

For admission fees, pool addresses and phone numbers, and other information, please visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/index.htm.

Swimming Classes – Swim Lessons

The first of four sessions of swim lessons begins Monday, June 3. Lessons cost $20 for a two-week session (8 classes).  Register at your local pool. Classes are available for children as young as 6 months. For specific class offerings and times, please call your local pool.

Session I: June 3-June 13
Session II: June 17-June 27

Registration for Sessions I and II begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, May 31 (Ajo pool swim lesson registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 1) and continues during open hours.

You may register for both Session I and II at this time. If your child progresses in one session to the next skill level, every effort will be made to accommodate him/her in the next level class in the next session.

Session III: July 8-July 18
Session IV: July 22-August 1 (Manzanita Pool Session IV will be M-F week 1 and M-W week 2 – ending on July 31 since TUSD goes back to school on August 1.)

Registration for Sessions III and IV begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 28, and continues during open hours. You may register for both Session III and IV at this time.

If three or more lessons are cancelled in any given session due to lightning or mechanical malfunction, lessons will continue past August 1.

Swim lessons at Mulcahy YMCA at Kino Community Center and Northwest YMCA-Thad Terry pools are taught through the YMCA. Please call 838-0938 at (Mulcahy) or 229-9006 at Thad Terry for information on swim lessons and fees.

Swim Team

The Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department’s Novice Summer Swim Team Program provides a fun, exciting, and rewarding swimming experience for children ages 5 to 18 at all Pima County pools except the Thad Terry and Picture Rocks pools, and at the Marana Pool, 13251 N. Lon Adams Road.

The fee is $20 for the entire summer (includes practices and meets).

Registration begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 25, at any pool offering the program and will continue during regular pool hours until June 20 (or until the team at a specific pool reaches capacity).

The first swim practice is May 28. Swim meets are on Saturday mornings or nights during June and July. Swim meets will begin on June 1 and will continue until the Championship swim meet on July 13.

Marana Marlins may have a different fee and registration times. For more information regarding the Marana Marlins, contact Sara Bauer at 520-342-6401or maranamarlins@gmail.com.

For additional swim team information, please call (520) 877-6126 or (520) 877-6109 or visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/swimteams.htm.

The Thad Terry swim team is offered through the YMCA. Please contact Thad Terry at 229-9006 for more information.

Cyclists riding on the north side of the Rillito River on The Loop.

Advocate for all kinds of bicycle riders at the Tucson-Pima Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC). Advise local policy makers on transportation, recreation, and safety issues for bicyclists. The County seeks volunteers who live in unincorporated Pima County to serve on the BAC.

 
The BAC advises City and County government staff and elected officials on bike projects throughout the region. Members attend a two-hour meeting on the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. Typically, the BAC meets 10 months of the year. Volunteers can also join subcommittees that focus on specific issues like bike facilities, education, enforcement, and a few others.

 
Established in 1987, this committee is the oldest joint committee that includes representatives from the County, City of Tucson, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, University of Arizona, and the Towns of Marana, Oro Valley and Sahuarita. The BAC has been very successful in helping develop innovative bike projects and bike safety education programs.

 
Due in part to BAC’s efforts, the League of American Bicyclists awarded Gold to the eastern Pima County-Tucson region in 2008 and 2012; and Outside Magazine ranks Tucson as the top “bike town” in the United States.

 
Interested in taking action to keep Pima County and Tucson at the top of national bike lists? Please contact Matt Zoll at 243-BIKE (2453) or Matthew.Zoll@pima.gov.

 
For more information about Tucson-Pima Bicycle Advisory Committee, visit: http://biketucson.pima.gov/

Pima County’s proposed $1.26 billion budget for next fiscal year is lower by $216 million – or 14.6 percent – than the budget of six years ago when the recession began.

The proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2013/14, which is scheduled for final adoption in mid-June, is primarily a maintenance-of-effort budget. With no significant expansion or addition of programs, the recommended budget is slightly higher than the current year’s budget, by 2.6 percent.

The County primary levy – which is the sum total of primary property taxes the County collects to fund general operations – has been reduced by more than $39 million over the past four years as a result of declining real estate values. Overall, in light of reduced revenues and despite increased service demands, 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.

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.

A major source of revenue for the County budget is property tax.  The recommended and balanced County budget will reduce total property taxes by $4.3 million for next year.  Property taxes fall into two categories – primary and secondary.

To afford key priorities, the County Administrator is proposing to increase the primary property tax rate by 24 cents, from $3.41 per $100 of assessed valuation to $3.65. As a point of reference, 10 years ago, the primary property tax rate was $4.07.  The proposed rate would essentially keep the amount of primary property taxes for next year the same as that collected this year and allow the County to:

• 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.   (Continued)

With the exception of the Library District, secondary property taxes will decrease.  The Library District tax rate will increase by 2.9 cents, bringing the total rate to 37 cents.

Even with the primary and library tax rate bump, the County is still expected to collect $4.3 million less in taxes than it collected this fiscal year due to continued declining property tax valuations and an expected reduction in the secondary tax base next year.

Meanwhile, the County’s projected end balance for this year’s budget is $44 million. Recommended uses of these non-recurring, one-time resources include:

• $15 million to University of Arizona Medical Center – South Campus, which since 2005 has seen an 87 percent increase in adjusted patient days, an increase of 22 percent in emergency department visits and a nearly 300 percent increase in surgical procedures.
• $2.2 million to subsidize three departments hit particularly hard by the prolonged recession: solid waste, development services and the stadium district.
• $3.4 million in a one-time employee compensation award, based on length of employment, to address inflation.
• $22.8 million in general fund reserves. A healthy reserve contributes to an enhanced bond rating, which has saved the County $2 million a year in lower interest payments on bond projects.

“This budget responsibly balances priorities while being sensitive to ongoing economic challenges,” said Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry. “It continues the work we’ve done to keep spending in line with revenues, while ensuring that we make the investments we must to promote opportunity and ensure Pima County continues to move forward.”

To see the Pima County Administrator’s memorandum about the recommended budget, please visit http://www.pima.gov/finance/AdptBdgt/2013-2014/pdf/00btransmit.pdf. Please check out the recommended budget in its entirety at http://www.pima.gov/finance/RecBdgt/2013-2014/index.html

Cyclovia Map, Sunday, April 28

Join thousands of walkers, strollers, dancers, skateboarders, and bicyclists at Cyclovia this Sunday, April 28, to celebrate car-free and care-free streets.  Bike Fest month in Tucson and Pima County wraps up with this family event that takes place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The east end of the festival is Dodge Boulevard, near Brandi Fenton Park, and Keeling Desert Park on Glenn Street marks the west end of the four-mile route.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry will lead a ride to Cyclovia from Kory Laos BMX track, part of the Flowing Wells Park, located at 5510 N. Shannon Road, at the Rillito River. The ride begins Sunday at 9:30 a.m., and will follow the Rillito River Park portion of The Loop for a ride of eight miles to Dodge Boulevard.

The attached map shows the location of “activity centers,” including DJs, food trucks, live music, pop-up skate and BMX spots, bike helmet give-aways and more. La Madera Park hosts a bike rodeo and also features jumping castles. Streets closed to cars are Dodge Boulevard, Blacklidge Avenue, Mountain Avenue and Glenn Street.

‪Bring your family and check out the urban wildlife display from Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation. Then walk or ride on wide-open streets to the rock-climbing wall, bike decoration station, and enjoy great food from local restaurants on the route. Cyclovia gives people from the greater Tucson region the chance to see neighbors, friends and other folks from throughout the area, and get a little exercise.

Building on the first Cyclovia on April 7 in downtown Tucson, Pima County will provide information and fun activities from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program, Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Air Program, the Health Department, Regional Wastewater and Reclamation Department, and the Office of Sustainability.

For more information about Cyclovia, visit: http://www.cycloviatucson.org/

For more information about The Loop, visit: www.pima.gov/TheLoop.

It is going to take $268 million and comprehensive transportation funding reform to bring Pima County’s poor and failing roads up to standard. And that money isn’t readily available.

In a new transportation funding report released Thursday, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry outlined a number of strategies that will help manage short-term needs, including a $5 million general fund appropriation in the coming budget year to target key areas for pavement preservation and maintenance, and a request that the Legislature return some or all of the state-shared gasoline tax revenues that were siphoned away from cities, towns and counties to balance the state budget.

But ultimately, he said, with jurisdictions throughout the nation facing similar funding challenges, it is going to take a combined effort at the national, state and local levels to come up with a long-term fix.

“There is no single recommendation that will significantly resolve our existing highway maintenance investment dilemma, let alone allow us to make the investments to prepare for future needs that will support economic vitality in the region, whether that is in air, transit or rail systems,” he said. “We need to focus on the problem using multiple strategies and continue to stress the need for long-term, stable and consistent funding for transportation.”

There are a number of reasons that transportation funding hasn’t kept up with demand:

• State gas tax: At 19 cents per gallon, which includes a penny for environmental remediation of underground storage tanks, the gas tax has not increased since 1991 and remains one of the lowest in the nation. Meanwhile, over that 22-year period, construction costs have increased by 96 percent. The same dollar of revenues in 1991 can now only buy 51 cents of highway improvements.
• Economic conditions. State-shared transportation revenues from the gas tax in 2012 were $44 million – lower than at any time dating back to 1999. People just aren’t filling up like they used to. They may be intentionally driving less to save money on high gasoline costs, which have doubled since 2005. Their vehicles are 20 percent more efficient than they were 10 years ago, which means they use less gas but cause just as much wear-and-tear on the roads.
• Fund sweeps. If the State Legislature had not swept shared transportation revenues to balance the budget, Pima County would have had $38 million more for highway maintenance and repair.

Pima County Supervisors recently have invested approximately $20 million in road repair, but that has taken care of only 10 percent of the problem. The County isn’t alone in trying to find answers to these challenges.

In Virginia, lawmakers are pushing a plan that would restructure the gas tax from a flat cents-per-gallon fee to a percentage of sales that would rise over time with inflation. As of July, Wyoming will increase its gas tax from 14 cents to 24 cents. Oregon is weighing per-mile fees for high-efficiency vehicles. It is a discussion taking place across the nation.

Among the additional steps inArizonathat can be taken in the near term to provide more revenues:

• The state can steer the one-cent gas tax allocation for underground storage tanks to pavement repair and maintenance, given regulatory and technological advances that should diminish the magnitude of the contamination problem;
• The state can increase the state gasoline tax by 10 cents to coincide with the 29.7-cents-per-gallon average gasoline tax of the surrounding states. It’s not popular. But it’s necessary.
• Ensure that any future funding initiative, such as the renewal of the Regional Transportation Authority tax, allocates a significant portion of the revenues to pavement preservation and repairs.

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

Bike commuters to downtown Tucson will find an energy boost in front of the Joel D. Valdez Main Library on Wednesday, April 10. As part of “Pedal the Pueblo” week, bike commuters will enjoy free drinks and snacks downtown courtesy of Living Streets Alliance and the Pima Association of Governments.

Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s (PDEQ) Clean Air Program staff will be available to provide information and offer clean air tips.

From 7 to 9 a.m., commuters can pick up information about Bike Fest commuter contests, Pima County’s commuter contest, PAG’s travel reduction program, and the latest Tucson Metro Bike Map. There will be juice, fruit, small pastries, and Ike’s will provide free coffee.

“We all know that non-motorized bicycles don’t pollute the air, but there are so many other benefits to bicycling that we don’t always consider,” said Beth Gorman, PDEQ Senior Program Manager. “Each additional car on the road increases the travel time of all of us behind that car, so every time a car is replaced by a bike, traffic congestion is reduced.”

The Jácome Plaza commuter station at the library at 101 N. Stone Ave. is one of three events happening tomorrow, the designated “Bike to Work and School Day.” The other two commuter stations will be at Treat Avenue and Third Street, and at Mountain Avenue and Ft. Lowell Road.

Be sure to check out other great events during Pedal the Pueblo week.

For tips on clean air, visit the DEQ Clean Air program.

The Tucson Pima Bicycle Advisory Committee presented two Staff Appreciation Awards to Pima County at the “Pedal the Pueblo” Kick-Off Breakfast today. Deputy County Administrator John Bernal and Bicycle Education Program Coordinator Ignacio Rivera de Rosales received awards.

“It’s an honor to receive this award on behalf of all the Public Works staff who work so hard on The Loop,” said Bernal. The Loop started as a Regional Flood Control District (RFCD) bank protection project with river parks built to mitigate project impacts. Staff from RFCD; Natural Resources, Parks, and Recreation; and the Department of Transportation worked together on the path and adjacent recreational facilities.

The Loop’s shared-use path encompasses both banks of four major river systems or waterways. Pima County residents and visitors can enjoy biking, walking, or horseback riding along the Rillito River, the Santa Cruz River, the Pantano Wash, the Julian Wash and the Harrison Greenway. The Loop also has path extensions along tributary washes. This includes the Tanque Verde Wash and the Cañada del Oro Wash.

More than one third of the metropolitan population lives within a half mile of The Loop or Loop extended paths.

In addition to excellent infrastructure, Pima County has great bike education programs, too. “I love my job,” said Rivera de Rosales, “I get to play games with kids this morning, teaching them about bike safety, and this afternoon, I’ll be riding with kids at a pump track we built together.” He works with elementary and middle school students, teaching bike safety in fun ways that emphasize individual responsibility. He also works with adult refugees, teaching them how to bike safely on Tucson’s busy streets.

Other award recipients today were: Greg Yares, Bicycling Advocacy Award; Duncan Benning, Bicycling Advocacy Award; Elizabeth Crump, Bicycle Commuter Award; Joseph Suida, Bicycle Commuter Award; and Technicians for Sustainability, Bicycle-Friendly Business Award.

Be sure to check out other great events during Pedal the Pueblo week, including Bike to Work and School Commuter Stations on Wednesday, April 10. The stations will be open 7 to 9 a.m. with free snacks at Jácome Plaza downtown, Himmel Park Library, and Mountain Avenue and Ft. Lowell Road.

For more information about The Loop, visit: www.pima.gov/TheLoop.

For more information about bicycle education programs, visit: http://bikeped.pima.gov/index.html.

The Honorable Richard Elías, Pima County Supervisor, District 5, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Pima County Department of Transportation will host a Dedication Ceremony for the Camino de Oeste: Los Reales Road to Valencia Road Improvement Project. The Dedication Ceremony will be held on Friday, April 5, 2013, at 1:00 pm, 7285 S. Camino de Oeste (northwest corner of Los Reales and Camino de Oeste).

Speakers at this event will include the Honorable Richard Elías, Pima County Supervisor, District 5, Master of Ceremonies; Peter Yucupicio, Chairman, Pascua Yaqui Tribe; Francisco Muñoz, Councilman/Treasurer; Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and Priscilla Cornelio, Director, Pima County Department of Transportation.

Camino de Oeste from Los Reales Road to Valencia Road was widened from a two-lane roadway to a three-lane section with a two-way left turn lane and six-foot-wide paved shoulders.  In addition, contractors installed a sidewalk along the west side of roadway, lighting, landscaping and minor drainage improvements.

This project was funded by Pascua Yaqui Tribe Highway User Revenue Funds (HURF) in the amount of $2.95 million.  Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) is a partner in this project contributing approximately $55,000 for the construction of an access point to a planned TUSD facility.

The construction for this project started May 2012 and was completed March 2013.

For more information, contact Annabelle Valenzuela, Pima County Department of Transportation at (520) 740-6445.

Starting Monday, April 1, the Swan Road parking lot on the south side of the Rillito River will be closed 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. The parking lot will be closed during these construction work hours for approximately one month. A nearby parking lot is located on the west side of Swan Road, just north of the Rillito River.

Loop users can continue to enjoy the paths, but should watch for trucks in this area. Drivers should also be prepared for additional truck traffic on Swan Road.

Pima County Regional Flood Control District (RFCD) is in the process of removing sediment from the Rillito River east of Swan Road. RFCD will remove excess sediment in order to improve the flood-carrying capacity of the channel.

The contractor, Ashton Company, intends to route approximately 60 to 70 trucks with sediment daily from the channel through the dirt parking lot located at the southeast corner of Swan Road and the Rillito River.

Ashton will post a flagger/spotter for traffic control at The Loop shared use path crossing location east of the Swan Road Bridge.  Bicyclists and pedestrians can expect minor delays at the location of the truck crossing.  Other than the truck traffic, all sediment-removal activities will occur in the bottom of the wash area.

For more information about The Loop, visit: www.pima.gov/TheLoop.