Pima County administrator Chuck Huckelberry just can’t get enough of your money. The hungry waif gobbles up your life a latte at a time. So while you scramble to fill Chuck’s belly, those who claim to be in need will not see much any time soon….
Pima County Bond Beneficiaries Concerned With Funding Timeline
In response to a request for comments regarding the draft 2015 bond implementation plan, Nicole Fyffee, Executive Assistant to Pima Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, received letters and emails from shocked beneficiaries, who wanted to know why their projects were put off well into the future.
While the nearly $1 billion bond package was sold as something that would spur economic activity in the 5th poorest metropolitan area in the country, many of the projects in the package will not be funded until at least 2020, according to the draft plan.
That revelation has caused a stir among the various entities, who had hoped to benefit from the government largess in the more immediate future.
Even members of the Bond Advisory Committee are questioning the timing and method of funding distribution. Bond Advisory Committee members Carolyn Campbell, Brian Flagg, and Ted Prezelski penned a letter in which they advise Fyffe:
“Our concerns lie in assuring fair and equitable distribution of funds throughout all Implementation Periods (sic) so that our community sees progress in the full spectrum of project areas. In particular, we are concerned with Neighborhood Reinvestment, Affordable Housing, Open Space Acquisition, and Pedestrian Safety and Walkability Improvements. These projects all have the bulk of the spending allocated late in the bond implementation, and we do not understand the reasons for this approach.
Promises of enhancing tourism have been key to bond supporters. Yet, those promises will not be delivered – if ever – for years according to letters from Craig Ivanyi of the Desert Museum and Jamsheed Mehta, Marana’s Deputy Town Manager among others.
Mehta writes:
In May of this year, Town staff responded to a County request for additional information regarding the Marana Cultural and Heritage Park. One of the questions asked was when the Town thought they would be able to spend the bonds funds. At the time we requested that the Heritage Park be programmed for Period 1 of the Bond program. However, the proposed draft implementation period schedule has the Heritage Park for the end of the bond during period 5 and period 6.
As stated in our previous emails to County staff, the Town of Marana has programmed for the Heritage Park design ork in FY17 and construction to begin in FY18. The Town’s approved five year capital improvement program has over $29 million allocated to the Heritage Park over the next four years. We respectfully request that he funding periods for the Heritage Park be moved up to Period 1 and Period 2 to correspond with the Town’s project timeframes set for the park.
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