On Tuesday, the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board will vote on a resolution offered by Board president Michael Hicks, which calls on the Pima County Board of Supervisors and Tucson City Council to “stop killing jobs.”
The resolution is in response to the resolutions passed by the Pima County Board of Supervisors and Tucson City Council earlier this month that criticized Trump’s wall along the U.S. Mexico border. While the County’s resolution denounces the border wall, the City of Tucson’s resolution promises punishment for those companies that are involved in its development.
One of those companies, Caterpillar, is moving to Tucson with the help of the Rio Nuevo District. The District stepped up to offer incentives to the company that would have violated Arizona’s Gift Clause. Both Pima County and the City of Tucson are subject to the Gift Clause, while the Rio Nuevo District is not.
Caterpillar’s equipment is expected to be used during the construction of the wall. So, at the same time the City and County have arraigned for Caterpillar to receive incentives, they have seemingly resolved to destroy projects in which the company’s equipment might be employed.
As the Real Estate Daily News notes, “Caterpillar’s Surface Mining & Technology Division, a division of Caterpillar Inc. as a guarantor, is to enter into a 25-year lease with a guaranteed interest rate of no more than three percent for the first 10 years. The draft lease also asks Rio Nuevo to take necessary action for Caterpillar to qualify for the Government Property Lease Excise Tax, or GPLET. Rio Nuevo cannot guarantee the GPLET, since it must be voted on by the Tucson City Council.”
Should the City leaders stick to theirs resolution, they would most likely vote to deny the GPLET and block the much anticipated prosperity that Caterpillar would bring to the area.
In an interview on the James T. Harris show, Hicks said that it is time for the governing bodies to support public education and the taxpayers who fund it.
Hicks’ resolution reads:
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A RESOLUTION IN OPPOSITION TO ANTI-EDUCATION, ANTI-PROSPERITY ACTIONS BY THE TUCSON MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, AND THE PIMA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WHEREAS, education is a top priority for the residents of Tucson, and Pima County, Arizona, and TUSD schools provide educational services to the vast majority of K-12 students in the City of Tucson boundaries which is located within Pima County.
WHEREAS, Arizona schools rely, in part, on the financial health of the political subdivisions in which they are located.
WHEREAS, economic stressors can affect a student’s classroom performance and future academic success.
WHEREAS, many of the successful students in Pima County are leaving the area in search of employment opportunities.
WHEREAS, potential employers are choosing neighboring communities in which to open or expand operations.
WHEREAS, both the City of Tucson and Pima County have actively prevented economic growth through various means including lawsuits, regulations, and resolutions.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board that a demand be issued to the Tucson Mayor and Council and Pima County Board of Supervisors that they commit to the welfare of our schools.
AND THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board that a demand be issued to the Tucson Mayor and Council and Pima County Board of Supervisors that they conduct a comprehensive analysis of their anti-education, anti-prosperity lawsuits, regulations, and resolutions.
AND THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board that a demand be issued to the Tucson Mayor and Council and Pima County Board of Supervisors that they denounce all attacks by political subdivisions on local businesses based solely on forwarding a partisan political agenda.
AND THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board that a demand be issued to the Tucson Mayor and Council and Pima County Board of Supervisors that they cease and desist all attacks on local businesses based solely on forwarding a partisan political agenda.
AND THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED by the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board that a demand be issued to the Tucson Mayor and Council and Pima County Board of Supervisors that they work with the Tucson Unified School District Governing Board in identifying best practices to ensure that the District’s students, parents, and teachers thrive in a prosperous metropolitan area in which they can secure high paying jobs and continue to contribute to our community’s spiritual and economic health.
Whereas it is necessary for the preservation of the peace health and safety of the Tucson Unified School District that this resolution become immediately effective and emergencies hereby declared to exist and this resolution shall be effective immediately upon his passage and adoption.