VIL nov 09 GRID3.indd - Tubac Villager

Tubac Villager
10 Plaza Road Tubac, AZ
ARTWALK
NOVEMBER 7 & 8
Meet the Artisits · Reception
1:00-4:00 Sat & Sun
J. Eggman - Monotypes
Brent Nageli -
Oil painting
Teresa
del Rito -
Southwest
Crosses
Join Us
Nov 21, 2009
11:00 - 4:00
for our
10 Year
Anniversary
Stop by the Red Door Gallery
starting Nov 1 to register to win
a CK Wearden Giclee Print.
Raffle to be held at 3pm
at the gallery reception Nov 21.
Must be present to win.
OPEN DAILY
County budget
crisis grows
In January, more Santa Cruz County employees
are expected to lose their jobs and some could have
salary reductions, while others will face mandated
furloughs. It’s likely employees will have to pay more
for health insurance as well.
The county has maintained unbudgeted money for a
cushion, but the state legislature has been chipping
away at that all year. County Finance Director
Jennifer St. John gave a detailed budget presentation
on Oct. 19 to members of the Santa Cruz Valley
Citizens Council in Tubac. She was joined by
County Manager Greg Lucero and County
Supervisor John Maynard.
St. John said it’s anticipated that the county will
have a potential “shortfall of $2 million” next year.
Lucero said property taxes cannot be raised due to
state caps set by law. He said he doesn’t anticipate
any new revenues in the upcoming two years. His
choices to balance the budget come down to adding
new fees for service, and cutting spending.
In an interview after the meeting St. John said
the county has 369 employees, down by 18 from
a year ago when there were 387 workers. She said
the proposed furloughs may be 13 days a year --
four hours per pay period, of which there are 26
a year. That is still to be decided by the Board of
Supervisors.
The county’s general fund budget is $30.68 million.
Revenues to pay for that include property taxes of
$11.2 million, sales taxes of $3.7 million, a cash
carry forward from the prior year of $12.7 million,
charges for services, $2.1 million, intergovernmental
income of $723,000, and interest income of $45,000.
“January looks to be the time things are going to get
really bad,” Lucero said.
Fire station contract
approved
The governing board of the Tubac Fire District
approved a contract for $2,221,920 to build its
Station No. 4. The action was taken during a special
board meeting held Oct. 21. The contractor is Lang
Wyatt and the project is to take 10 to 12 months.
The bid was nearly $300,000 less than was budgeted,
Fire Chief Kevin Keeley said.
Station No. 4 is being constructed in northeast Rio
Rico, which is inside the boundaries of the Tubac
Fire District.
Work on the new Station No. 3, also in northeast
Rio Rico, is nearing completion and is expected to
be done by February.
Date set on
checkpoint widening
A project to expand northbound Interstate 19
between Tubac and Amado for an interim U.S.
Border Patrol immigration checkpoint may begin
in mid-February and the $1.5 million project could
take about three months.
The Border Patrol plans to add a third lane for
trucks between Chavez Siding Road and Agua
Linda Road just north of Tubac. A 115-foot wide
metal shade and rain canopy will be erected across
the highway.
Linda Ritter, an Arizona Department of
Transportation spokeswoman, said in late October
that ADOT “is close to issuing an encroachment
permit.”
Omar Candelaria, a Border Patrol agent and
spokesman, said the agency is required to develop a
Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan, which will
be done after the construction contract is awarded.
Candelaria said the improvements “remain
fairly modest, but will provide an appreciable
improvement in efficiency and agency safety.”
The agency announced in 2006 it intends to build
a $27-million permanent checkpoint station in the
future at that location.
Second slab for school admin building
Work is continuing on a new 6,192-square-foot
administration building for Santa Cruz Valley
Unified School District No. 35 (Tubac and Rio
Rico).
A foundation slab poured in late September
developed a large crack, so it was demolished and
removed by the contractor. A new foundation slab
was poured Oct. 26.
The contract for the administration building,
awarded July 6, pins the cost at $914,500. Funds
come from a $10 million bond election approved
two years ago.
The building, which will replace a modular facility, is
being constructed on district-owned land in front of
Mountain View Elementary School on Camino Lito
Galindo in Rio Rico west of Interstate 19.
It will combine all the business and human resources
functions into one location, and will have a large
room for school board meetings and other meetings
and training sessions.
Three fire hydrants
to be funded
Three fire hydrants in west Tubac will be installed
as part of a water line extension project by Arizona
American Water Co. The hydrants will be along the
route of the new 12-inch water main. Two will be
placed on Nielson Lane and one on Keating Circle.
The Tubac Fire District is paying the cost of about
$29,000. The fee would be much higher if the work
was done after the water line is complete and the
street is paved, Chief Kevin Keeley said.
The work wasn’t in this year’s budget so the fire