A to Z with Nikki Lee: May 11, 2021

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May 11, 2021

Happy Mother's Day & Military Appreciation Month.

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day and weekend. I had a great day spending time with my family and I hope many of you were able to do the same.

May is Military Appreciation Month. My husband and I are both veterans and we love living in such a strong, supportive military community. Supporting service members and veterans is extremely important to me as an elected official. I will keep fighting for employment resources, access to mental health services, and other resources critical to supporting military members, veterans, and their families.

I'd also like to highlight opportunities provided by the city for staying cool and enjoying the outdoors this summer. As I've mentioned before, there's a brand new splash pad at Clements Center (8155 E. Poinciana Drive) open from 8 a.m. to sunset. More information can be found here. Additionally, Tucson Parks & Recreation just announced summer programs will resume and registration opens this Saturday. Ramadas have also opened up and can start being reserved. More information can be found below. 

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Important Dates:

• Saturday, May 15, 2021: Parks and Recreation summer program registration opens. Registration begins at 6 a.m. for city residents and noon for non-city residents. Find more information below.
• Tuesday, May 18, 2021: City Council Meeting. Click here and go to "Mayor & Council Meeting Live" to watch! (To watch past meetings, visit the City of Tucson YouTube page. This is also where future meetings will be live streamed).
• Thursday, May 27, 2021 at 5:30 PM: Ward 4 Virtual Town Hall. This town hall will be a budget conversation with the City Manager's Office. Register here and RSVP on Facebook here.

COVID-19 Update

Vaccines

Pima County, the City of Tucson, and Tucson Medical Center (TMC) are working in partnership to shift and expand their COVID-19 vaccination efforts to indoor facilities to beat the heat. The latest change involved moving TMC's drive-thru site to a walk-through facility at the City of Tucson’s Morris K. Udall Recreation Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road.

Another site recently opened at the El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road. The Kino Event Center, 2805 E. Ajo Way is also offering indoor vaccinations.

For operating hours and registration links for all sites, read the news release.

Please note: TCC and El Pueblo can only vaccinate 18-year-olds and up, as they only administer the Moderna vaccine. Persons age 16-17 can only be vaccinated with Pfizer vaccine and that is not available at the TCC or at El Pueblo. If you are trying to get a 16-17-year-old person vaccinated, please visit the AZDHS vaccine page or check for pharmacy options by using http://vaccinefinder.org and selecting the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine option for your search.

Testing

The City of Tucson and El Rio Health are offering free COVID-19 tests at the El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road.

The testing takes place on Tuesdays 2-6 p.m., Thursdays, 2-6 p.m., and Saturdays, 7-11 a.m.

To register for a test, call El Rio Health at (520) 670-3909 and schedule an appointment. A doctor’s order is not needed to get the test, but organizers do ask everyone to make an appointment. Follow on-site signage to the testing location.

Community Pop-Up Testing Centers: The City's pop-up testing locations are available on a walk-up basis only. No appointment is necessary. The free saliva tests are administered by Rescue Me Wellness and results are available in 3 - 5 days. Full list of times and locations.

Information Hotlines

2-1-1: The 2-1-1 hotline, in both English and Spanish, is administered by 2-1-1 Arizona and the Crisis Response Network and offers a place to answer questions and concerns from Arizona residents about COVID-19. The line operates from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day of the week and can be reached by dialing 2-1-1 while an individual is located in Arizona. More information can also be found at 211arizona.org/covid-19.

If you have questions about your business, please call the City's Small Business Assistance Line at (520) 837-4100. The Economic Initiatives team is available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or submit questions and comments any time using the Small Business Assistance Form.

FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance. 

FEMA is providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses – up to $9,000 per funeral. To apply, call FEMA’s COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Line: 844-684-6333. For more information, visit COVID-19 Funeral Assistance | FEMA.gov.

May 4, 2021 Mayor & Council Session Recap

Looking for information about the water differential rate discussion? Click here to read my Vail Voice article that goes into detail on this important issue.

City Budget & Compensation.

At last week's Mayor & Council meeting, we authorized up to $30 million for the City Manager to proceed with implementation of raising wages for all city employees to market levels by early June or as soon as possible. In addition, we directed the City Manager to implement a 2% pay increase for all employees not affected by market adjustments to ensure that all employees see a raise in acknowledgement of their efforts to keep our City running during unprecedented times.

Prior to this decision, an extensive salary study found that 81% of city employees were paid below market rates. The compensation increase will help boost recruitment and retention of critical city personnel, including public safety. As one of the largest employers in Tucson, I'm glad we are moving toward properly compensating the fantastic people who keep our city running. 

Opposition to Proposed Flat Income Tax Cut Proposals.

The Arizona Legislature is considering a proposal to establish a 2.5% “flat income tax” rate, which would reduce Arizona’s estimated income tax revenues by $1.5 billion per year. This proposed $1.5 billion reduction in revenue would mean a $225 million annual reduction to the voter-approved local revenues to cities and towns, including an estimated $21 million annual cut to the City of Tucson.

Governor Ducey has recommended a separate proposal that would lower income tax revenues by $200 million in year one, $400 million in year two, and $600 million in year three and every year thereafter. Tucson would lose $17 million over those three years, and $8.5 million per year thereafter. A reduction of this magnitude would have a significant and negative impact on the critical and core services provided by the City of Tucson to our residents and local businesses, including public safety, parks, and roads.

These current income tax cut proposals utilize one-time funding sources from the federal CARES Act and American Rescue Plan to offset permanent income tax cuts, which is not only fiscally irresponsible and contrary to basic budgeting practices, but potentially violates provisions in the American Rescue Plan that specifies that states cannot use funds they receive “to either directly or indirectly offset a reduction in the net tax revenue.”

For these reasons, Mayor & Council passed a resolution to oppose the tax cuts under consideration by the state legislature. I am glad we made the unanimous decision to defend much-needed funding for our vital resources.

Reid Park Zoo Expansion Plan.

Mayor and Council directed staff, in the best interest of the City, to 1) continue the suspension of the zoo expansion to allow for a new design that will have the effect of saving Barnum Hill and the South Duck Pond, 2) proceed with the redesign of the zoo expansion into the area north and west of the Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center with the criteria; a) Minimize the use of open green space, b) maximize the reuse of hardscape, c) manage the additional costs to the project to be less than $5.5M, and d) deal with the questions of lighting, fireworks and events at Hi Corbett and the potential effects of zoo expansion and 3) initiate a comprehensive update to the Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Master Plan.

Local Mask Guidelines.

Some of you may have heard that the CDC has updated its mask guidelines. This was discussed at Mayor & Council last week and we were told that Tucson does not need to alter its local mask ordinance to meet the updated guidance. As a reminder, our City of Tucson mask ordinance is still in place. For details, click here.

Additionally, we were informed that the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA), has extended the mask requirement on public transit throughout the country through September 13th. FYI: the CDC guidelines now state that the use of face shields are not an acceptable alternative for wearing a face mask.

April 29 Town Hall with Mesquite Ranch On Thursday, April 29, we hosted our virtual Ward 4 town hall with the Mesquite Ranch community. We had a great conversation about core services, updates on our roads and public spaces, and opportunities for neighborhood clean-ups and other activities. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here. Our next town hall is Thursday, May 27, at 5:30 PM. This will be a budget conversation with the City Manager's office. All are welcome. Register here and RSVP on Facebook here.

Planting for the Future: April 30 Arbor Day Celebration On Friday, April 30, the Ward 4 office partnered with Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Trees for Tucson, and Tucson Parks and Recreation to host “Planting for the Future,” an Arbor Day celebration, at Lincoln Regional Park. I want to give a huge thank you to everyone who came out and helped, and a special shout out to Mayor Regina Romero and Executive Director of Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Katie Gannon for helping me kick off the day. Thank you to our sponsors, Hamstra Heating & Cooling, Chapman Automotive Group, Circle K - Grand Canyon Division, and Kinder Morgan, for their help in making this day a success. Thanks to the help of so many volunteers, we planted 62 trees in no time. These trees will provide shade, reduce erosion and irrigation costs, and provide many more benefits to our community for years to come. Watch the video of the event here - you may even see some familiar faces!

Fire Station 9 Groundbreaking Last week, the Ward 4 team stopped by the groundbreaking ceremony for Fire Station 9 at 6275 E. Eastland Street. Fire Station 9, originally constructed in 1966, is the first of five Tucson Fire Department stations to be completely rebuilt with voter-approved Tucson Delivers funds. Nicknamed "The House of Pain," the station will be transformed into a new, safe live-work place for firefighters and a welcoming neighborhood space. I'm glad we are able to provide this resource for our firefighters and community. The station is scheduled to be completed in spring 2022.

Restaurant Revitalization Fund: Applications Open! The Small Business Administration (SBA) says restaurants in Southern Arizona can now apply for relief through the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Applicants can apply directly through the SBA using the application portal linked below. The $28.6 billion fund was created by the American Rescue Plan. The program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue losses, up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location. Funds must be used for allowable expenses by March 11, 2023, and don't need to be repaid if all conditions are met. The online application will remain open to any eligible establishment until all funds are exhausted. Click here to go to the SBA Restaurant Revitalization Award Portal

On May 12, The Federal Communications Commission is launching a temporary program to help families and households struggling to afford Internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail in application.

You can learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting www.tucsonaz.gov/manager/emergency-broadband-benefit, www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit, or by calling 833-511-0311.

Parks & Recreation Updates

TUCSON PARKS AND RECREATION TO RESUME SUMMER PROGRAMS.

Two Opportunities for Local Artists

Project Creosote: Pima County Youth Arts Scholarship Proyecto Gobernadora: Beca para Jóvenes Artistas del Condado Pima Deadline: May 27, 2021 English Description: The Pima County Youth Arts Scholarship is an opportunity to earn a $1,000 scholarship toward enrollment at Pima Community College or Tohono O’odham Community College. The Youth Arts Scholarship is designed to identify and reward high school seniors within Pima County who demonstrate excellence in dance, music, theater, visual arts, media arts, literary arts, poetry, spoken word, craft, or art related to cultural preservation. English Link: https://artsfoundtucson.org/grant/creosote-pycas-eng/ Spanish Description: La Beca para Jóvenes Artistas del Condado Pima ofrece a los jóvenes artistas en las áreas de danza, música, teatro, artes visuales, literatura, o medios que se encuentran cursando el último año de preparatoria y que desean continuar sus estudios en el Pima Community College o en el Tohono O’odham Community College la oportunidad de obtener una beca de $1,000 dólares para gastos de inscripción. Spanish Link: https://artsfoundtucson.org/grant/creosote-PYCAS-SPA/

Project Creosote: stART to HEAL | Proyecto Gobernadora: stART to HEAL Deadline: May 27, 2021 English Description: stART to HEAL for Creatives provides individuals, collectives, and co-ops residing in Southern Arizona and the Native Sovereign Nations of Ak-Chin Indian Community, Sovereign Nation of the Cocopahs, Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, Gila River Indian Community, Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tohono O’Odham Nation, and San Carlos Apache Nation. Southern Arizona encompasses all communities between the Gila River and the US-Mexico International Border. Awards funds of $500-$2,500 through two alternate tracks of support: The Community Impact track provides financial support to individuals, groups or organizations for projects that will positively impact a community through an artistic endeavor.  The Artist Development track provides financial support to creatives for whom a specific, practice-related capital resource or professional development experience will make an impact on their artistic practice.   English Link: https://artsfoundtucson.org/grant/start-project-creosote-eng/ Spanish Description: stART to HEAL para creativos proporciona fondos para premios a individuos, colectivos y cooperativas en el sur de Arizona y las Naciones Soberanas Nativas de la Comunidad India Ak-Chin, la Nación Soberana de los Cocopahs, la Tribu Quechan de la Reserva India Fort Yuma, la Comunidad India del Río Gila, Pascua Yaqui Tribu, Nación Tohono O’Odham, Nación Apache San Carlos. El sur de Arizona abarca todas las comunidades entre el río Gila y la frontera internacional México-Estados Unidos. Otorga fondos de $500 a $2,500 a través de dos vías alternativas de apoyo:  La pista de Impacto Comunitario brinda apoyo financiero a individuos, grupos u organizaciones para proyectos que impactarán positivamente a una comunidad a través de un esfuerzo artístico.   La pista de Desarrollo de Artistas brinda apoyo financiero a los creativos para quienes un recurso de capital específico relacionado con la práctica o una experiencia de desarrollo profesional tendrá un impacto en su práctica artística. Spanish Link: https://artsfoundtucson.org/grant/start-project-creosote-SPA/

How Can I Stay Updated?

There are multiple ways to stay updated with my office and the City's work:

• Looking for city updates? Follow the Ward 4 City of Tucson page to learn about core services, projects, events and helpful information about all things Tucson.
• Looking for me? Follow my Councilwoman Nikki Lee page to see what I'm up to around town, articles I write, official events I'm hosting, and more!
• Follow my Council Member twitter account, @CouncilwomanLee.
• Follow my Council Member instagram account: @nikkilee_az.