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Friends,
In my last newsletter, I addressed the fact that we’re in “Budget Season”. For nerds like me who love spreadsheets, it’s one of the best times of the year. 🤓 Beyond my excitement about spreadsheets and charts, I’m excited about this opportunity to strategically fund the needs of our organization and community, and address some of our biggest pain points.
Areas of additional focus for me for this upcoming budget revolve around clearing backlogs and improving our service delivery to the public. We have opportunities to create and invest in solutions that will provide support to our Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) and the Records Request team within the Tucson Police Department (TPD). Both teams have very important customer-facing responsibilities and could benefit from strategic investment to get caught up with the backlogs and stay caught up. It’s probably not much fun to come to work every day with a large backlog staring at you that is growing even larger that day. 🙁
To help, I am working with stakeholders in the community to understand what our customers care about most, and from there we will create metrics to measure our current performance and throughput and create targets that better align to customer expectations. “What gets measured gets managed”, and this is a key component to understanding if the solutions we implement are working or not so we can pivot accordingly. Once we have a plan of attack, we’ll need to fund the plan so we can improve our service delivery to the community. I have confidence in our teams and know that if we invest in the right places, we can really move the needle in these two important spaces.
During the Mayor & Council meeting on April 4th, we reviewed a working document of budget projections for the coming years. A link to the full document is here. Things look very solid for the near term, but once we get to 2025, the picture looks much different. Knowing that economic conditions are changing, the Arizona tax structure is changing (to a flat tax that will decrease the amount of revenue we receive as a city), and federal dollars that we’ve had access to during the pandemic are phasing out, we have a situation brewing that we need to take seriously.
 I am specifically looking for plans and funding recommendations in the functions of Human Resources, Finance, and Information Technology. These departments are key enablers to assist all other departments in being successful, and funding initiatives in these areas have a high Return on Investment. We need to invest in solutions that will allow us to find and capitalize on efficiencies now, so we have less of an impact when we get to the tougher budget years ahead.
Budget conversations will continue, and below is the current timeline we’re working from:
- April 18: City Manager’s Recommended Budget
- May 23: Tentative Budget Adoption
- June 6: Final Budget Adoption
I am interested in your feedback and thoughts on the budget, as well as the challenges and opportunities we’re hoping to address in the next fiscal year. Please send your thoughts over to ward4@tucsonaz.gov.
Important Dates:
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Saturday, April 15th from 10am-2 pm: The City of Tucson Public Safety Communications Department, in partnership with the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), and Pima Community College (PCC) will be hosting a career fair at the PCC West Campus, 2202 W Anklam Road.
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Tuesday, April 18th: 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).
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Friday, April 21st from 8-10am: Councilwoman Lee invites you to Freedom Park (5000 E. 29th St) where she will be joined by Mayor Romero, 29th Street Thrive and community volunteers for an Earth Day clean up. Everyone is welcome to participate.
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Sunday, April 23rd at 10am: Our dear friend, Paul Durham, passed away earlier this year. To honor his memory there will be a Celebration of his life at The Tucson Botanical Gardens (2150 N. Alvernon Way). The memorial will take place outdoors in the Reception Garden. Refreshments following the memorial provided indoors in the Porter House.
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Monday, April 24, from 5:30-7pm: Valencia Road Public Open House - Kolb Road to Houghton Road improvement project. The meeting will be held at Vail Christian Church (9455 E. Valencia Road). There will be no presentation, drop in anytime during the open house.
- Tuesday, April 25th, 4-6pm: Community Resource Fair featuring: GED and college scholarships, job training, rental assistance, after school programs and more. This is a family friendly event with activities and games at Tierra Luna (West Parking Lot, 7440 E. 22nd St).
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Friday, April 28th at 9am: Councilwoman Lee invites you to her 3rd Annual Ward 4 Arbor Day Community Tree Planting. All are welcome to come plant 67 trees on the east side of Purple Heart Park (9800 E Rita Road).
April 4th, 2023 Mayor and Council Highlights
Prosperity Initiative Initial Policy Options
Information was provided detailing The Prosperity Initiative, an initiative and task force formed to create community wealth by addressing generational poverty and improving opportunity and addressing poverty as we emerge from the pandemic. Mayor and Council adopted two policies of increasing access to affordable high quality early childcare and education and affordable housing to reduce geographic concentrations of poverty, to start the ongoing work of the initiative and ask that the prosperity initiative return to the Mayor and Council with additional policy options addressing transportation, housing quality and home ownership. More information may be found here.
Fiscal Year 2023/24 Preliminary Unrestricted General Fund Budget, the Investment Plan and City Department’s Staffing Plans
Information was provided detailing Revenue Assumptions, FY2023/24 Unrestricted General Fund Revenues, Expenditure Assumptions, FY2023/24 Unrestricted General Fund Expenditures, Transfers Out, FY2023/24 Operating Transfers, Investment Plan, City Departments’ Staffing as of March 2, 2023, and Budget Calendar. Discussion ensued regarding the potential economic cliff, funding for IT and HR functions, community engagement, how to increase funding sources, staffing levels and filling vacancies, more funding for climate resiliency, art maintenance, increase maintenance funding, pension costs and recruitment of police officers.
Discussion Relating to Fare-Free Transit for Sun Tran, Sun Link and Sun Van
Information was provided detailing potential transit local funding options and data for University of Arizona, Pima Community College, Public Schools, and Regional Employers who all utilize the transit system. Discussion ensued regarding ridership, subsize transit options, finding another funding source for transit, minimizing barrier to the cost of transportation, exploring partnerships with the private sector, how to expand services, ensure stakeholders have a seat at the table, students and the elderly, longer term approach, raising parking rates and safety concerns. Transit funding discussions will continue with the future fiscal year budget discussions.
City of Tucson People, Communities, and Homes Investment Plan Funding Recommendations – Human Services Projects, Homeownership Development Projects, Community Facilities Projects
The Housing and Community Development Department (HCD) administers community grant programs using U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and City of Tucson General Fund allocations to support activities administered by City Departments and nonprofit organizations which advance City goals established in the People, Communities, and Homes Investment Plan (P-CHIP). Mayor and Council approved the recommendation of of $5,938,765 in grant funding which includes $4,538,765 federal program funds and $1,400,000 in City of Tucson FY24 General Funds to support a variety of human services, community facility, and homeownership development activities. More Information on the specific investment may be found here.
Out and About
Last weekend we attended the Public Safety Day at the Tucson Mall. More than 18 public safety agencies participated in the event. Our very own Tucson Fire, Tucson Police, and Public Safety Communications Departments were there, including SWAT, K9s (like the lovely Luna pictured below), drones, and helicopters.
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It was a great way to interface with the community, raise awareness about agencies in the area and demonstrate what they do, and hopefully get some folks to consider public safety as a profession. 😊
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Earth Day Celebrations
Pledge to Save Water
Water is one of our most precious resources, and it's up to all of us to conserve it. That's why I'm excited to invite you to join me and Mayor Romero in the 2023 Wyland National Foundation Mayors' Challenge for Water Conservation. By taking just a minute to fill out the survey and pledging to do your part to save water, you'll be making a big impact on our community and the environment.
Here are five top helpful water-saving tips that are particularly relevant for Arizona residents:
- Fix any leaky faucets or toilets in your home
- Consider using a pool cover to reduce evaporation and keep your pool clean
- Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks
- Install water-efficient showerheads and faucet aerators
- Only run full loads of laundry and dishes in the dishwasher
Let's work together to make Tucson a five-time winner of this important challenge! Please pledge online here by April 30th and let's show our commitment to conserving water. Thank you for your continued support in making our community a greener and more sustainable place to live.
Reporting Potholes
Help the City identify street, lighting, drainage, signage, and other transportation related issues such as:
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Maintenance: filling potholes and cracks, sweeping, trimming vegetation
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Traffic Control: signing, lane striping, crossing signal repair
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Reconstruction: asphalt paving, utilities, curbs, ramps and sidewalks
You can report these issues to the Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT), (520) 791-3154, or email the exact location to TDOTConcerns@tucsonaz.gov. You also can use the SeeClickFix website and app.
Get the SeeClickFix app for Android.
Get the SeeClickFix app for iOS.
Comment on City of Tucson's New Website
I am excited to share with you the news about the City of Tucson's new service-based website! As a city council member and tech nerd, I am always looking for ways to make it easier for our community to access the services they need. The new website features front page links to the most-requested services and an improved search function to quickly find what you're looking for.
I encourage you to take a look at the new website and provide your comments here. Your feedback will help us continue to improve and make the site even more user-friendly. While the site is currently in beta mode and fully functional, the current website will remain your source for the latest official information until the new site replaces it next month.
Thank you for your continued support and for helping us make Tucson a better place to live.
What is happening in town?
 I am thrilled to invite all young adults aged 15-20 years old to a unique opportunity to join the Parks and Recreation team this summer. The department is hosting a Silent Disco Recruitment Party at the Gene C. Reid Park DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center on April 14, from 5-8 p.m.
This interactive event will provide a fun and engaging way to learn about the job opportunities available within Parks and Recreation. You will be able to meet our staff and ask any questions you may have about exciting part-time positions open this summer, including lifeguard, KIDCO recreation worker, therapeutic recreation worker, and multiple other part-time and full-time opportunities.
The evening will include a silent disco, food, raffle prizes, and more. Parks and Recreation staff will be available to assist with your applications on-site. Don't miss this chance to join our team and make a difference in our community.
There is no need to register for this free event. So, bring your friends for a night of fun, music, games and more!
Silent Disco Recruitment Party
City of Tucson jobs
As a Tucson resident and advocate for our community, I am excited to share with you the #ThisIsTucson 2023 Summer Camp Guide! Click here for over 100 different summer camps to choose from in the Tucson area, there's something for every child's interest and passion. Whether your child loves theater, coding, sports, or crafts, this guide has it all. I hope this guide helps you find the perfect summer camp for your child to have a fun and enriching summer.
Women's Fastpitch Softball League
Looking for a fun way to stay active and meet new people this summer? Check out the Fastpitch Softball League for women, ages 16 and up, offered by Tucson Parks and Recreation. Registration is open from April 17 to May 15, and games will take place on Tuesday evenings from May 30 to July 25 at Lincoln Regional Park. The league fee is $400 per team, and registration can be completed on the Tucson Parks and Recreation website.
Cool off at One of Tucson's Splash Pads
With the hot summer days upon us, there's no better time to cool off at one of the City of Tucson’s six splash pads. And the good news is, we have two splash pads right here in our Ward! The Clements Splash Pad is located at Lincoln Regional Park (8155 E. Poinciana Drive) and the newest one is at Purple Heart Park (9800 E. Rita Road). Thanks to Tucson Delivers 2018 voter-approved Proposition 407 bond funds and Impact Fees, these splash pads offer a refreshing and safe way for us to beat the heat. So grab your sunscreen, towels, and water bottles and head on over! All of Tucson's splash pads are open daily, from 8 a.m. to sunset, through Oct. 31. Check out the City of Tucson's website for a complete list of all the splash pads and pools in our city. See you there!
    
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