Hello Tucson,
There’s much to celebrate and appreciate in Tucson these days (we always include info on events and community highlights). Much of the credit for the goodness goes to volunteers, donors and grass roots organizations. Feeling thankful for the regular healthy doses of beauty and joy and gathering inspired!
That’s especially powerful as some challenges face our city. As we move toward adopting our 2026 budget I want to share some comparison information and my thoughts based on broad community feedback I’ve received to date.
Comparisons and Federal/State Impacts
Each Arizona city is governed by it’s own local Charter as well as the State Constitution and state statutes. As I get questions from residents about our options for generating revenues, here are some general facts to keep in mind:
- The Phoenix Mayor and Council adopted a half-cent sales tax increase in March 2025 to address core service needs. While Tucson’s Charter requires voter approval of increases, the Phoenix Charter empowers Mayor and Council to adopt increases. The Phoenix sales tax rate is now 2.8% vs Tucson’s 2.6% (County and State sales taxes combine for overall rate).
- The Phoenix primary property tax is $1.29 per $100 of assessed value; Tucson’s is $1.03/$100. A state constitutional amendment passed in 1980 limits increases to 2% annually of the revenues generated in prior years.
- In 2015 Phoenix voters passed a .7% sales tax for transit services and streets (for 35 year period); in 2022 Tucson voters approved a .5% sales tax for streets maintenance and improvements (for 10 year period).
I share this as good questions are coming for residents and comparisons with other cities are often included.
The “Core Services” to be provided by the City of Tucson, by Charter, include parks and recreation, public safety, city courts, water, environmental services, community planning and development, transportation. Some services collect user fees for most costs (water, environmental services) while others currently rely more heavily on our General Fund. Dedicated sales taxes have been approved by voters as well for specific core service funding needs beyond General Fund resources available (e.g. .5% in 2022 for 10 years for streets paving and improvements; .5% in 2017 for 5 years for public safety and streets; .1% in 2017 for 10 years for Reid Park Zoo). Bonds for capital improvements have also been approved by Tucson voters, such as the 2018 $225M in bonds approved for parks and pedestrian/bicycle infrastructure for investments through 2028 (paid through secondary property taxes).
Recent developments at the state and federal levels will impact our revenues:
- Significant COVID-era funds from the federal government have ended
- Other federal grants and department programs (including many for core services) face suspensions to outright cuts
- The state flat tax (fully in effect now) lowered the income tax for households with higher incomes from 3% to 2.5% (essentially same rate as lower income households), so our revenues from the state have gone down (estimate $27-30M less per year)
- Our sales tax collections will likely decrease notably. Folks spend less in uncertain times and can afford less if or as jobs/incomes decline. Also, already, fewer visitors travel here from Mexico for short-stays. Studies indicate Tucson has historically collected at least 10% of sales tax revenues from Mexican visitors shopping here.
- And, obviously, waves in the state and national economies will run through us here locally
Given the rules that cover our city’s options, anticipated impacts from decisions at the federal and state levels, and keeping the whole budget and communitywide needs for our core services in mind, here are some of my thoughts as we manage our budget and projected deficits (having listened to lots and lots of Tucsonans’ input; the City Manager outlines recommendations in our meeting materials as guidance,too):
- We ought to focus on fulfilling our core service obligations first
- We ought to be sure we offer fair and competitive pay and benefits for our employees; the quality of our service lies in the hands of all of those workers and I hear much appreciation from the community for their steady and skillful delivery of results
- We cannot afford to leave revenues off the table as we proceed:
- Consider a sales tax on advertising, as most AZ cities do, and identify other options in the AZ Model Cities Tax Code we can adjust/collect
- Start the required process for evaluating transit fare and transit efficiency options (there’s a prescribed equity analysis and additional data we need to make informed decisions)
- Let’s get to work with our community on a proposal for Tucson voters (either a bond package for capital/infrastructure which would be funded through secondary property taxes or a simpler sales tax question addressing core service needs). I can’t see myself supporting the RTA Next .5% sales tax given the times and other concerns.
- We ought to consider targeted fees if we can to address high-priority concerns that Tucsonans might support (e.g. a small Environmental Services fee for more community cleanups/pickups beyond the existing trash, recycling and brush and bulky twice/year removals covered by current charges)
- Amend Mayor and Council policy regarding our “Rainy Day Fund”; it’s now at 10% of the General Fund (Phoenix’s fund has been pretty steady at 4.25%). This would release funds for critical one-time capital needs as built into the Manager’s recommended budget and reduce projected deficits.
- Consolidate city operations into existing facilities and liquidate assets or put land/buildings into full use. Some City Council offices, for example, are co-located with Parks or other city facilities. Given underutilized library and parks meetings spaces and open offices within our buildings, Ward teams can still be within each Ward but integrated on sites with other city administration/service functions.
Colleagues, city employees and community members will surely have additional thoughts worth consideration. Some steps can be taken more swiftly than others, and all must be planned (including timing) and implemented under the City Manager’s direction.
It’d be hard to list the many ways that Mayor and Council, management and our city employees have trimmed costs to save money and to improve services in recent years. Getting “the right work in the right hands” in public safety is one I could highlight. Our Fire Department has recently figured out how to connect callers in medical need, when appropriate, to telehealth assistance. That has reduced medical unit dispatches (85% of the call load) by 10-15% while connecting citizens to needed care. Our Police Department team has leveraged the work of Community Safety Officers, Professional Staff Investigators, Public Records Specialists and Crime Scene Specialists (“non-sworn” personnel) to respond to calls for service as appropriate and support our current 830 sworn officers and detectives. Efforts and successes like this will continue, thanks to our department leaders and employees.
The City’s budget and services are a part of the fabric that creates our community’s quality of life. We want to build the strongest foundation for prosperity possible. We know we have partners critical to our overall well-being, too: Pima County, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, businesses, arts organizations, the UofA and Pima Community College, school districts and so many others contribute enormous value…in fact each and every one of us contributes.
We’ve all been through these cycles—and sometimes it seems state and federal powers that be want nothing more than to see those with the least fight over crumbs as prosperity amasses only at the very top for the very wealthiest, the very few (by the way I don’t believe for a minute that even the very wealthiest in Tucson want our community to tear apart). A goal of mine through these challenging times is to help hold our community together and encourage that we resist the conflict and anger that uncertainty and stress can trigger. It can feel like some choices we face could pit working families against those living on the streets outside; union workers against transit riders; and on and on. Keeping the whole budget and our whole community in mind and at heart helps. We truly are all in this together for the city we love.
Thank you,
Karin Uhlich
Plan Tucson Second Public Hearing Scheduled
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The Planning Commission rescheduled the March 19, 2025; public hearing due to a lack of quorum. It will now host the second of two required Public Hearings on the Plan Tucson 2025 Revised Draft on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at City Hall Mayor and Council Chambers. Staff acknowledges the inconvenience caused by the last-minute cancellation of the previous meeting, especially for those who attended to speak. We appreciate the community’s patience.
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Plan Tucson 2025 outlines the city’s strategic vision for growth, sustainability, and community development over the next decade. Plan Tucson 2025 is the City of Tucson’s general plan. Public input is a crucial part of the process as the revised draft plan moves through review and adoption.
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Submit Written Comments: Prior to the public hearing, comments can be sent via email, and they will be shared with the Commissioners.
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Speak at the Hearing: Attend in person or virtually to speak at the public hearing. Requests to speak can be made in advance to PlanningCommission@tucsonaz.gov or during the scheduled agenda item.
Following the Planning Commission’s review, the Mayor and Council will hold a study session in late April, followed by a public hearing in May. If approved, Tucson residents will have the opportunity to vote on Plan Tucson in the November 2025 election.
Sixth Avenue Protected Bike Lane Public Design Pop-Ups
The City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) is planning a parking-protected bike lane on Sixth Avenue from Speedway Boulevard to Fifth Street and a double-buffered protected bike lane from Fifth Street to Seventh Street, providing low-stress bike routes. These improvements are part of the Proposition 407, Tucson Delivers Strong Connections Program.
Join us at an upcoming event for an opportunity to review the latest design, learn more about the traffic safety improvements, and to give your input.
Pizza Party at Catalina Park
Tuesday, April 8, 2025 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Catalina Park – 941 N Fourth Avenue
This project is part of an effort to create a network of bikeways that are designed for all ages and abilities, minimizing conflicts and providing connections to other bikeways. Learn more at the project website - tucsondelivers.tucsonaz.gov/pages/6th-ave
Camino Miramonte - Palo Verde Bike Boulevard
City of Tucson Budget Engagement Town Halls
The City of Tucson is in the process of developing its Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which will take effect July 1, 2025. Mayor and Council, along with City staff, encourage residents to participate in shaping the budget by attending upcoming town hall meetings and completing a soon-to-be-released budget engagement survey. The town hall meetings will feature a brief presentation by City staff, followed by a live question-and-answer session.
Connecting Neighborhoods with Neighborhoods Event
Join us for this networking event for Neighborhood Association leaders to come together to share their insights, strategies, and experiences.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 8:30 – 9 a.m. Sign-in & Refreshment, 9 – 11 a.m. Program
The program will include a brief overview of Neighborhood Associations today, followed by interactive breakout groups focusing on two key areas:
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Increasing involvement in Neighborhood Associations
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Recognizing successful neighborhood projects.
The latter will feed into an interactive neighborhood projects map, which will be introduced at the event.
So often, the best resource for a Neighborhood Association is another Neighborhood Association. Here’s your opportunity to find out what other neighborhoods are doing and share what your neighborhood has been pursuing, lessons learned, and more. Plus, attendees will be entered into a raffle—just a small thank you for participating.
PLEASE RSVP: To ensure that we have sufficient refreshments and materials, RSVP to Neighborhood@tucsonaz.gov by Friday, April 11, 2025.
Continued Improvements for the Glenn St. Chicanes with Tucson Water’s Storm to Shade Program
The 46-traffic calming, stormwater harvesting bump-outs, also known as chicanes, on the north side of Glenn Street between Country Club Rd and Columbus Blvd will continue to receive improvements over the coming year.
In addition to traffic control, these chicanes are green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) features designed to capture and infiltrate stormwater runoff close to where it falls to support native vegetation that cools and beautifies communities.
After years without dedicated maintenance, invasive grasses, unwanted volunteer trees, and sediment accumulation rendered many of the Glenn St chicanes non-functional eye sores at best. When the Storm to Shade (S2S) program launched in 2021, these 46 features were adopted into the S2S Maintenance Program and are now part of an inventory of approximately 500 GSI assets that receive quarterly maintenance visits from contractors that specialize in the care of GSI, whose highest priority is the health of the landscape, after health and human safety. Maintenance activities thus far have focused on trash collection, invasive species control, volunteer tree removal, and adding S2S’s custom native seed mix (grasses, shrubs, and flowers) to add beauty and biodiversity while deterring invasive species. Due to the presence of underground utilities, trees are not allowed to grow in the Glenn St. Chicanes, but native shrubs, grasses, and flowers with shallow root systems are invited to thrive.
The next phase of improvements will include restoring stormwater harvesting capacity by adding sediment traps, deepening basins, and adding more native seed mix. Seeding is cost-effective alternative to planting nursery-grown plants, and plants grown from seed need less care to establish and tend to be more successful over the long-term.
Want to help? Native Sonoran Desert plant sprouts are difficult to identify and easily confused with undesirable plants and weeds. Please do not tamper with the vegetation in the basins; leave it to the experts working on behalf of Storm to Shade! Also, dumping in/on the basins, which are City property, is against the law per T.C,C. Ch. 11, Sec 11-19. Finally, please let any landscape contractors working in the area know that the Glenn St. chicanes are not part of their work area. If you have questions or concerns, please contact the Storm to Shade team by emailing S2S@tucsonaz.gov or calling 520-791-4331.
Donations
We are happy to announce that we will begin to accept donations again for immigrants and those in needs. Kaleidoscope Humanitarian Aid is the non-profit organization that will manage all the donations we collect. They also support local organizations that serve unhoused people, veterans, immigrants who have settled in Tucson and are going through the asylum process.
To find more information about Kaleidoscope Humanitarian Aid, please visit their website: https://www.khaid.org/
Here are the items that they currently need:
1. Toiletries - feminine hygiene items, shampoo, toilet paper, tissues
2. Gently used kitchen items - cutlery, plates, pots and pans, paper napkins
Donations can be dropped off at the Ward 6 Council Office, located at 3202 E. 1st Street, Monday through Friday, from 9am to 1pm.
Kiwanis at our Ward 6 Recycle Lot
As you may have seen, the Kiwanis team has been volunteering in our recycling lot on Thursdays this past winter. This successful project was raising funds to help kids in the Tucson area. Their main project was the Student of the Month program for four local high schools - Catalina, Cholla, Pueblo and Tucson High. At the end of the school year, they provide a scholarship for one student from each school. This year they were able to increase the amount to $1,000 for each student, thanks to a large part of the generous donations from people at our Ward 6 Recycle Lot. They expressed they had a good time meeting with many members of our community in helping to keep the lot cleaner. Their season is now done but we are hopeful to have them again in the fall.
Community Events and Resources
The Children’s Museum – Hosts Earth Day
Discover ways to make your world a healthier, greener place to live. Kids learn about recycling and composting, ways to conserve energy and choices everyone can make to reduce our impacts on the earth. This celebration of nature shares the beauty and balance of our unique ecosystem with our community’s youngest explores. More information: https://childrensmuseumtucson.org/earth-day/
Guns to Gardens – Art Demonstration
The event will be taking place at Southside Presbyterian Church, located at 317 W 23rd Street, Tucson, AZ. For more information, please send an email to gunstogardens@southsidepres.org or call 520-623-6857. The 1st 15 donors will receive a $50 grocery gift card.
Upcoming Water Events
The Regional Flood Control District’s Low Impact Development (LID) Working Group is hosting a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Data Resources Roundtable Thursday April 17th, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Join for a collaborative discussion and resource sharing. Register [events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com
Sustainable Tucson
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Join Sustainable Tucson on Tuesday, April 8, at 6 pm, on Zoom, for their next Sustainability Spotlight program, “Mining in the Age of Climate Change.” The panel will present an overview of some of the actual or potential impacts of mining on our health, water, and scenic beauty in Southern Arizona, particularly looking at what’s happening in the Santa Rita Mountains. |
They will address the conflict between the environmental risks and destruction caused by mining and the need for metals used in producing clean energy to fight destructive warming. The speakers represent Save the Scenic Santa Ritas and Arizona Mining Reform Coalition. Find more information and the Zoom link for the meeting on their website (www.sustainabletucson.org [sustainabletucson.org]) or on their Facebook page or Meetup group.
Open House for 4th Ave Improvement Plan
BBVNA Porch Fest
The Broadmoor Broadway Village neighborhood will host a spring Porch Fest on Sunday, April 13, from 4-7pm. Porch Fest, is a free, family friendly event which brings folks from inside and outside the neighborhood together to stroll and enjoy the various musical performances scattered throughout the neighborhood. Please remember to bring some cash for tips--all of these wonderful musicians are playing for tips only, let’s show them some love! In addition to music, there will be food trucks! We love that Porch Fest is an event that celebrates the music arts and community, and in that spirit, this year we will share ways attendees can donate to organizations that are working to provide support to musicians who've been impacted by the recent fires in Los Angeles--they are MusiCares.org and Altadenamusicians.org. Donations to these great organizations are NOT in lieu of tips for musicians.
McCormick Park Planting Day April 12
The new walking path has been installed at McCormick Park, and irrigation improvements will be completed soon. Volunteers are needed to help plant 44 new trees in the park on Saturday, April 12, starting at 8 a.m. Kid-friendly! Parks & Rec will pre-dig the holds, so all you need to do is put in a tree, mulch it, and water it. Bring your gardening gloves!
More information:
https://tucsoncleanandbeautiful.org/event/mccormick-park-planting-and-volunteer-appreciation-event/
Garden District Yard Sale
Iskashitaa Refugee Network
Palo Verde Plant Swap
EGGstravaganza
Pet of the Week
FANTASMA
ID# A852517
Age: 3 years old
Qualities: Since her arrival at PACC in October, sweet Fantasma has quickly won over the hearts of volunteers by being patient, gentle and friendly. Though she can be a little shy around new people at first, Fantasma takes treats gently, loves having her cheeks and chin petted and enjoys long, leisurely walks. She’s hoping to find a safe and secure home where she can decompress from the stresses of shelter life. She may benefit from living with a confident dog who could help bring her out of her shell.
Fee: Fantasma is free to adopt. She is spayed, up-to-date on vaccines, and microchipped.
Contact: Pima Animal Care Center, 4000 N. Silverbell Rd., 520-724-5900. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 12pm - 7pm. Wednesday 1:30pm - 7pm. Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5pm.
Ready, Set, Rec Ward 6 Van
Upcoming Meetings
Mayor and Council Meeting
Alvernon Grant Initiative Meeting (AGI)
Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 6-7pm (every 2nd Tuesday of the month)
Emmanuel Church, 1825 N Alvernon Way
5th/Alvernon Crime Coalition
Wednesday, April 26, 2025, 6-7pm (every 4th Wednesday of the month)
Ward 6 Council Office, 3202 E 1st Street
29th Street Coalition Meeting
Thursday, April 23, 6-8pm (every 4th Thursday of the month)
Midtown Police Station Public Meeting Room, 1100 S. Alvernon
Division Advisory Committee (DAC) Meeting
Thursday, June 26, 6-8pm
Erik D. Hite Eastside Substation, 9670 E Golf Links Rd
Palo Verde Neighborhood Meeting
Thursday, April 17, 2025, 6:30-8:00pm (every third Thursday of the month)
Ward 6 Council Office, 3202 E 1st Street
City of Tucson Resources
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