On Tuesday, controversy erupted when the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to purchase land owned by St. Demetrios Church for nearly double its value, according to one appraisal. The lone “no” vote by Supervisors Ally Miller was based on her concerns that the County had agreed to purchase the property for $931,000 when a recent appraisal determined its value to be $650,000.
After the vote, Supervisor Ramon Valadez, who was extremely agitated during a discussion of the purchase, took to Facebook to vent. Valadez posted a rant on Supervisor Ally Miller’s Facebook page accusing her of
promoting “innuendo and half-truths. He claimed the information she shared was “so damaging to this community that I’m no longer going to sit by and allow Supervisor Miller to get away with it.”
For her part, Miller was simply sharing information with the public about the appraisal. She responded to Valadez: “No innuendo here folks…I had submitted the appraisal and made a motion for the board to continue this item so we could have a reasonable discussion on whether taxpayers were overpaying for this land. I couldn’t get a second from any member of the board to have a review done of this purchase…PERIOD! This is disturbing to think the board members are so out of touch with the taxpayers.”
[Miller video]
According to the facts laid out by Valadez in his Facebook post the deal appears to be a great deal for the church. He wrote, “The church purchased the property in 2008 for $1.25 million. The county’s appraiser valued the land at $850,000. Irrespective of an appraisal, acquisition of property requires not only a willing buyer but also a willing seller and the church was not a willing seller. As explained in communications to Supervisor Miller about this issue, a two-thirds majority of the church’s membership had to approve the sale and the membership didn’t approve the county’s offer of $900,000 for the property. Further negotiation took place and the county upped its offer to $925,000 and the church membership accepted.”
His Facebook message left open the need for the County to purchase the property. He merely claimed, “Acquiring flood-prone lands to protect the health, safety and welfare of Pima County citizens is what was before the board today and that was what the rational members of the board agreed to do.” He did not elaborate how leaving the vacant land under the ownership of the church would hurt County residents, or why the church was not responsible for bringing the land into a condition that did not threaten the “health, safety and welfare of Pima County citizens.”
Valadez’s rant was greeted by many of Miller’s Facebook friends, who did not appear to take his rant as friendly. Responses included:
Sampson U. Ramirez Should of told the church where to stick it. To bad everyone has lost all credibility. Good ol boy systems seem to have that effect but lucky for everyone I know everything.
Ned Nederlander Rational? Rational is prioritizing your essential needs for the County. Like giving Sheriff Deputies their step increases that were promised. Now THAT would be an actual investment to protect the health, safety and welfare of Pima County citizens.
Mason Nicholls Me thinks he doth protest too much! “Save taxpayers money.” LMAO!! So how much will my property taxes go down by? Back down to last years numbers? lol. Well we probably just identified the representative with a tie to whoever benefited from this outrageous gift [purchase]!
Renee Ross Whose health …safety and welfare was in jeopardy before the county bought the land??? AND HOW WAS THE HEALTH SAFETY AND WELFARE OF THESE PEOPLE IMPROVED SINCE TAXPAYERS BOUGHT THIS LAND???
The post left by Miller that earned Valadez’s ire read:
Today, the board of supervisors approved the purchase of 8.09 acres of vacant land from St. Demetrios Church for $931K. (Click here to see video of discussion & vote http://youtu.be/u1YuoE2aFkI ).
I had distributed a copy of a private appraisal prepared by Southwest appraisal Associates for ST. Demetrious Church which determined market value of the property was $650K.
An individual Parishioner from St. Demetrious Church sent a copy of this appraisal to me which I then forwarded to the clerk of the board for distribution.
The appraisal was emailed to all supervisors and their staff at 1:04pm yesterday by the clerk of the board.
Some board members stated they hadn’t received the appraisal so I then made a substitute motion to continue this item to the December 15th meeting so everyone could review this appraisal which was clearly in conflict with the Pima County appraisal of $850K. I couldn’t get a second to my motion and the board approved this purchase for $931K for vacant land with your tax dollars. More misspending of taxpayer dollars by the Pima County Board of Supervisors.
During a discussion of the property, Miller advised her fellow supervisors of the lower appraisal and questioned why the County had agreed to pay the inflated price. Supervisor Ray Carroll left the dais and Valadez angrily push himself away from his microphone and told Miller that he had not received the lower appraisal. Miller then asked the Clerk of the Board if she had given the documents to each supervisor as Miller had directed. She said that yes, she had delivered the documents to each supervisors electronically.
County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry attempted to defend the higher appraisal and implied that the church drove a hard bargain. At no time did any supervisor or staff member offer an explanation as to why is was the County’s responsibility to take the land off of the church’s hands.
In a memo from Huckelberry dated January 15, and part of Tuesday’s meeting materials:
The benefits of this acquisition would be that 10 the property is in a severe and chronic flood hazard area, is close to other County and RFCD lands, and provides a riparian restoration opportunity; and 2) it would preserve land in the Binghampton Rural Historic Landscape in the flat, active floodplain of the bank-protected Rillito River.
A review of the nomination documents for the Binghampton Rural Historic Landscape, the property has a “sense of place” despite being developed and no longer considered the riparian habitat it once was. In fact, it was only nominated to the National Register of Historic Places “under two criteria of significance. Under Criteria A, the district has two historic contents (1) as Tucson’s first Mormon agrarian settlement (1898 to the 1920s) on twenty – to forty – acre parcels and (2) as a distinct enclave of 1920s/1930s through early 1950smodest scale, owner-occupied ranches, farms and residences on smaller parcels configured largely from earlier field patterns. Today’s rural character most strongly reflects the second, post-Mormon context. Under Criteria C, the district is being nominated for the architectural quality of a number of its houses and buildings constructed between 1898 through 1953; the period of significance. Although some are architect-designed, most are contractor or owner-built structures which range widely in architectural style and vernacular type, reflecting the era when they were built.
Huckelberry told the supervisors that the land would be useable only after extensive and expensive work by anyone hoping to build in it.
According to the appraisal completed by Baker, Peterson, Baker and Associates , in 2013, the church paid $23,206.35 in property taxes. Miller stated on Facebook, “Purchasing this land is also a loss of tax revenue for the county as they paid $24,000+ last year which will now be off the tax rolls…”in September 2014, Purchasing this land is also a loss of tax revenue for the county as they paid $24,000+ last year which will now be off the tax rolls…” The County refused to respond to requests for information as to what fund would pay for the property, however according to real estate experts, the land was likely purchased with funds from FLAP (Floodprone Land Acquisition Program). As a result, there is no cost to County residents except the loss of taxes.
The County continues to deplete the tax rolls with its purchase of Open Space. However, in November the residents said ‘no more’ when they voted overwhelmingly against all of the County’s bond proposals including one that would dedicate funds for the purchase of more parcels.
The County has a history of buying land associated with supervisors’ campaign donors. As the economy began to suffer from the supervisors anti-business policies, those purchases began to wear on residents. After Miller was elected, and began to expose the County’s crony-based land purchases and other questionable spending, the majority of the Board has come under fire and scrutiny.
As a result, the supervisors behavior has become more erratic and they appear to have ramped up efforts to quell dissent. Huckelberry has tried frantically to get out ahead of controversy with multi-page memos designed to put the best spin on questionable decisions.
Currently, supervisors Bronson and Carroll face challengers in the 2016 election.
