In response to Pima County voters’ rejection of Proposition 463, community leader, Chris King, presented a resolution to the Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday calling for a vote of no confidence in County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry.
“Two weeks ago, on Election Day the voters of Pima County told the Board of Supervisors and the County Administrator by rejecting Proposition 463. Three years ago they did the same thing when they rejected $815 Million dollars in bonds,” said King in a press release. “Today, the same Board attempted to bilk the taxpayers of even more money to put into Kino Sports Complex instead of saving the money to pay for operations and maintenance. Had it not been for Supervisor Miller from District 1, the money would have been covertly awarded without question. It is time we as taxpayers put our foot down and hold the board accountable and demand that the highest paid administrator in the United States be terminated per the terms of his contract.”
King said that while he knows the resolution does not have any legal authority it does “put the Board on notice that we the people of Pima County are tired of the continual poor prioritization of spending by those that would be the beneficiaries of our labor.”
The resolution reads:
Whereas in 2015, the County Board of Supervisors at the urging of the County Administrator placed 815 Million dollars in bonds on the ballot only to have them fail.
Whereas in 2018, the County Board of Supervisors, at the urging of the County Administrator placed 430 Million dollars in bonds on the ballot only to have it fail.
Whereas for over 20 years Chuck Huckelberry has been the County Administrator for Pima County
Whereas he has been adamant in spending money contrary to the wishes of the taxpayer.
Whereas he has been self-serving to create a bike path named after himself to the detriment of the roads
Whereas he has mortgaged county buildings to do work the taxpayers have voted against.
Whereas he has sacrificed public safety to the detriment of taxpayers by failing to provide for pay raises for Pima County Deputies.
Whereas he has advocated for deals that provide for no direct benefit for the majority of Pima County taxpayers in acquiring golf courses.
Whereas he spearheaded the purchase of a bowling alley for over 30 percent of appraised value while removing it from the tax rolls while allowing the previous owner to remove property that is inherent to the building while furthermore allowing the owner to occupy same structure rent-free for over a year.
Now therefore be it resolved on the 20th day of November 2018 We, the taxpayers of Pima County declare we have no confidence in the County Administrator, Chuck Huckelberry and respectfully request the Board of Supervisors terminate his contract per the terms, effective immediately!
Signed: The Taxpayers of Pima County
Later in the meeting, Pima County Supervisor Ally Miller offered an agenda item that directed Huckelberry to use existing 1997 road bonds to repair failing roads. There is $62 million left to issue. Supervisors Steve Christy, Sharon Bronson, Ramon Valadez, and Richard Elias refused to support using the millions of dollars in unspent bonds voters approved in 1997 for road repairs.
The four supervisors refused to even second a motion to have a candid public discussion of the matter.
Supervisors made it clear during Tuesday’s meeting that they will not even discuss using monies currently available to repair our crumbling vital infrastructure. Instead, they approved a two-year $280,000.00 lobbying contract to Racy and Assoc., in an effort to convince Arizona legislators to pass a gas tax increase.
According to a memo from Huckelberry, there remains $62.4 million in unspent road bond monies from the measure approved by voters in 1997.
While the State of Arizona is blamed for not providing adequate funds for road repairs, Pima County has received more than $1.6 billion dollars in the past 10 years in HURF (Highway User Revenue Fund) and VLT (Vehicle Licensing Tax) monies.
While refusing to consider monies available for basic infrastructure needs the supervisors are expected to approve $26 million spending package for Phase 1 of The “Field of Dreams” for Kino Stadium on Dec 4th, 2018.
“I had hoped that my fellow supervisors would join me in recognizing what the voters want, especially in light of the resounding rejection of Proposition 463. Voters want the County to live within its means. They cannot afford higher taxes, and we as stewards of the public’s money and welfare must find affordable solutions,” stated Supervisor Miller. “The large truck that tipped over stands as a symbol of Pima County leadership’s failure to provide even the most fundamental economic development driver – roads.”