It is full steam ahead for Captain Chuck Huckelberry as he steers the vessel Pima County into the rocks of debt. At yesterday’s Pima County Board of Supervisors’ meeting, the supervisors essentially agreed to take out a $58 million mortgage to complete the new courthouse.
The Board of Supervisors of Pima County authorized $58 million dollars in Certificates of Participation to finance the completion of the new County courthouse rather than look for private entities to lease out space and cover some of the costs.
The County Manager Huckelberry plans to move the Assessor’s and Recorder’s offices into the building to make up for the tenant shortage.
Supervisor Ally Miller questioned the use of Certificates of Participation to facilitate additional construction at the Pima County Courthouse. It appeared in a video of the meeting that Supervisor Carroll had initially voted in support of the debt, but after Miller asked for a roll call vote, Carroll reluctantly joined her. It appeared that for most of the meeting, four of the supervisors kept their microphones turned off. The debt passed in a 3-2 vote.
Miller said, “We should lease out the space at market rate and allow whomever leases to do the tenant improvements. There is no reason to move the assessor office and the recorder office to this building…We don’t have the money for this…still spending like we have tons of money…just more debt, Folks.”
What voter’s didn’t know was when they voted for $76 million bond question for the courthouse in the 2004 bond election was the fact they were bonding for the exterior shell of the building only. No interior improvements or the parking garage were included in the bond.
The courthouse has become, for many in Pima County, a symbol of Huckelberry’s style. Build big, buy often and raise taxes as much as you can.
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