In response to the exposure of Pima County’s history of road repairs and use of funds, the County Administrator released a new report with almost as many holes in it as Thornydale Road.
According to Jamar Younger, with the Arizona Daily Star, “Huckelberry released the documents after the Board of Supervisors requested annual transportation operating and maintenance costs for each district. The memo was also in response to Miller’s claims that the Board of Supervisors unfairly swept $872,000 from her district last month and allocated the money for road improvements on Colossal Cave Road, a project in Carroll’s district.”
Based on the Administrator’s report, Younger wrote, “Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller’s district has received more money for road improvements and other transportation needs than the county’s other districts have since 1997.
However, in his report Huckelberry ignores the fact that most of the money spent on the fast growing District 1 had little to do with road repairs. The money referred to was spent on projects that were long past due and were part of the 1997 bond package along with RTA money for road widening and capacity improvements. Over 70 percent of the roads in District 1 are failing.
Contrary to Huckelberry’s claims, Miller did not request $100 million for road repair. Miller instead put an item on the agenda identifying multiple areas that constituents had complained about, which were in failing condition, and directed County staff to examine these funds to determine whether there was money available for additional road repairs.
Huckelberry only allotted $5 million to road repairs in 2013. This is less than one half if 1 percent of the Pima County Budget.
“We should have done far more repairs. I don’t need to tell the residents or bike riders of this community about the condition of the roads. Mr. Huckelberry can spin the tail of how the roads have been well managed, but one doesn’t need an analysis as they drive about on the county roads on a daily basis. This is very visible,” says Miller.
The sweep from repairs to Thornydale Road in Miller’s district to repairs on Colossal Cave Road in Supervisors Ray Carroll’s district was sold at a February meeting as necessary for the good of the children. However, according to the Arizona Daily Star, the sweep of monies, by four of the five supervisors, from District 1 to District 4 was a retaliatory political move.
The numbers clearly show that the Arizona Daily Star’s assessment was correct. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation:
• Colossal Cave Road serves approximately 1300 students during the week.
• Thornydale Road serves approximately 5800 students during the week.
• Thornydale Road is running about 18,000 cars a day.
• Colossal Cave Road is running about 5,000 cars a day.
• In District 1, approximately 72 percent of roads are failing.
• In other districts, approximately 62 percent of roads are failing.
District 1, which has more roads than any other district, clearly received more road money, but for widening and new roads. With business friendly communities like Marana and Oro Valley, District 1 has been the fastest growing area in the County. The new roads were needed to accommodate the increased traffic flow in the northwest.
In his report dated March 18, 2014, Huckelberry makes the incredible claim, “Only recently has the issue of pavement repair and rehabilitation become an interest in public policy discussions regarding transportation expenditures.” Miller says the unhappiness in Pima County with the quality of the roads is not a “recent phenomenon. People have filed reports over and over that it has been 28 years since their roads were touched. A $270 million road problem did not occur overnight and unfortunately for the board and Chuck, the voters aren’t buying it. They know how long it has been since their roads have been repaired.”
What is new however, is the attention Miller has brought to the issue. She has gained widespread bipartisan support for her demands for accountability. Her appearances on the James T. Harris show on Wednesday afternoons, in which she discusses openly her concerns for the County, has earned her criticism from crony capitalists and failed former politicians, and the wrath of fellow supervisors and the County Administrator.
Miller has also been harassed by a County resident, who frightened her staff, when he insisted on entering her office without an appointment and yelled at her at one town hall meeting. The man, a vocal opponent to Rosemont Mine wrote an opinion piece in the Arizona Daily Star in 2013 in which he stated that he struggles with mental health issues. His appearance at her office was described by staff as ‘disturbing’ and has raised concerns for Miller’s safety.
Undaunted, Miller and at least one County resident have filed complaints with the Attorney General’s Office regarding apparent violations of Open Meeting Laws, while at least one resident has filed a complaint with the AG’s office regarding the Arizona Military Installation Fund.
All the while, residents struggled as the Primary Property Tax Rate went up from $3.4178 to $3.666, a 7.3 percent increase; the County Administrator is recommending General Fund support to the Kino Sports Complex, which will require an approximate $0.03 increase per $100 assessed value in the property tax primary rate.
According to the Star, it would cost about $75 million to fix the residential streets in Miller’s district and $41 million to repair the roads in Bronson’s district, but the County has only allocated approximately $14.7 million on road maintenance this fiscal year. Only $10 million has been earmarked for residential streets.
The roads and the children of District 1 will have to wait.