Pima County’s 12 Sad “Tax Milkcows”

pima county

What’s the common theme running through all the following Metro Tucson communities?  Casas Adobes, Flowing Wells, Catalina Foothills, Tanque Verde, Vail, Drexel Heights, Green Valley, Picture Rocks, Arva Valley, Valencia West, Tucson Estates, and Catalina?

They’re all un-incorporated “Census Designated Places” (CDP), and their tax money is plundered by Pima County. In fact, nearly ~40% of Tucson’s Metro is simply …un-incorporated Pima County.  Compared to just 3% for Metro Phoenix.

Is the big picture starting to come into focus now?  This is the #1 reason Tucson stays so poor, and largely unattractive to quality outside investments.  These CDPs remain the Grijalva Gang & PimaCo’s “tax milkcows”.

Of the 12 CDPs above, and based upon 2020 Census estimates, all but 2 will have more than 10,000 people each.  Eight will have more than 20,000 people, six will have more than 30,000 people, and two will have more than 50,000 people.

If there’s a central conspiracy in Pima County, involving certain corrupt & cynical business, political, and media interests…this is it, folks.  Its consequence is very simple: the Tucson Metro is falling behind in one of America’s best states for business.

For instance, during the week of May 11th, deep into the COVID-19 lockdown, and prior to the faux, destructive outrages over George Floyd, the Phoenix Metro picked up a $12 billion Taiwan Semiconductor fab-plant, a $500 million Zoom Internet R&D facility (Tempe), and a major HQ relocation for clean-tech, Taronis Fuels (Peoria).

Hardly a peep in the Tucson print media (‘RedStar’) about any of it.   Ditto Casa Grande’s nearly finished $700 million Lucid Motors electric car plant, and startup Nikola Motors planned $1 billion e-truck plant in Coolidge.  Nikola’s HQ and R&D center is in Phoenix; they just completed an IPO giving the company money for the plant, and a $26 billion market cap.

But in Tucson, they don’t want you to put 2 & 2 together, it’s that simple.  They want you to be distracted with a host of bogus Hard-Left, liberal themes—all pretty much cow manure in that ultimate Municipality of Life …Realville.

Right now, three adjacent, and very similar pairs of the Tucson Metro CDPs listed above could be combined into 3 standalone cities, easily with more than 50,000 people each.  They would not need a single penny of new tax money to operate; Arizona state law on mandatory funding flows would insure that.  Their roads could be immediately better, their infrastructure & municipal beautification immediately better, their police, fire, and EMT protection instantly better.

Moreover, they would instantly gain bigger footprints, and have far greater control over future development and land use, commensurate with their own urban themes, culture, and lifestyles.

All this is the real tragedy of Pima County’s urban poverty, media-hyped ersatz racism, and lack of opportunity for young people of all persuasions.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Sellers is a South Park Republican who lives in incorporated Oro Valley.  His background is federal tech-transfer commercialization. 

About Bill Sellers 105 Articles
Sellers is a South Park Republican who lives in incorporated Oro Valley. His background is federal tech-transfer commercialization. Contact him at readbill19@usa.net Sellers is also a grad of Clemson's Architecture School and the University of NC School of Business. He was a founding member of the Albuquerque Friday Morning Breakfast Group which elected numerous conservatives. He has lived in the SouthWest & PacNorthWest more than 40 yrs.