About those Pima bonds, roads, and taxes: Property taxes will rise to pay off the bonds. Goes without saying. Taxes will rise to pay the interest and the operations and maintenance. Even the Yes campaign grudgingly admits that. But the County Administrator now says “…no more than 30 percent of our needs are being met” by the $200 million “Road and Highway Improvement” bonds. Mr. Huckelberry, in his July 23, 2015, memo to the Board of Supervisors, says these bonds are “grossly inadequate… not the solution….”
He urges another tax, and quoting again: “We need to fund these essential public services from direct, transportation related revenues; preferably the gas tax or an excise tax on the sale of gasoline or diesel fuels.” Unquote.
Let me see if I understand this now: we need many millions in bonds to fix our roads but that won’t do the job so besides the tax for the bonds that won’t do the job we need another tax or two. And $40 million of the road bonds won’t even go for repairs. They are to build roads for the benefit of Raytheon, which declared a half-billion in profits this past quarter, the UA Tech Park which donated $10,000 to the Yes campaign, and Diamond Ventures Inc. which also provides “major funding” for the Yes campaign.
Tired of being bamboozled by the big boys? Vote No November 3.
Albert Lannon
Avra Valley Coalition