Explorer News-
December 19, 2007

  Editor:

It’s up to voters to rein in OV
Dear Editor,

As an Oro Valley citizen I continue to be amazed by our mayor and town council’s tax-and-spend behavior.

It appears the elected leadership of Oro Valley is unable to say no to the unelected bureaucrats that really run the town. This is evidenced by the recent adoption of a 2-percent utility tax, a new stormwater flood-control fee for every Oro Valley water customer, and a pending increase in development fees. The latter is based on a study by the town’s finance department that compares development fees with other Pima County communities.

Shouldn’t the rationale to increase prices be based on the town’s cost of providing those development services instead?

As for the stormwater flood-control issue, within a month of implementing the tax the town is now hiring a storm water manager that will pay $85,000 a year. A full department is soon to follow.

As a former town councilman in another Arizona community, I am familiar with department heads presenting selective data demonstrating the absolute need to spend more for new programs, more people, more equipment, etc.

I admit it is hard to say NO to the unelected bureaucrats’ ardent and emotional appeals.

They ask for money in the name of needed life safety issues, public safety issues and community services issues. All these issues are veiled disguises to perpetuate the growth of government and the empire of the bureaucrats. Difficult as it may be it needs to be said and a freeze needs to be put on both budget and employee growth in Oro Valley.

The concept of prudent cost management appears to be foreign to our current council. Let me remind all that we live in a republic, not a democracy, where we elect leaders to make tough decisions for us.

Having reminded you, I find it amusing that the council has not the courage to approve or disapprove the Naranja Town Site park $48-million bond issue, but rather put it to a vote of people. Maybe we should be thankful we have the opportunity to collectively say NO to the unelected bureaucrats on at least one issue since our mayor and council cannot.

Doug Brackin,
Oro Valley