Friday, March 30, 2012

Cesar Chavez March Tomorrow

The Arizona Cesar E. Chavez Holiday 
Coalition invites you to the 

12th Annual Cesar E. Chavez march this 

Saturday, March 31, 

Gather 9 AM   for  short program 
at St. John's Catholic Church 
(Ajo and S. 12th Ave.)

Cesar Chavez March

Friends:

Please come join us once again for the March on Cesar Chavez Day.  We as a
community need to come together and continue to work together to improve
the quality of life for all.  Hope to see you there.

Richard

Monday, March 26, 2012

COUNCIL MEMBER SHIRLEY SCOTT HOSTING A WARD IV TOWN HALL

Ward IV Council Member Shirley Scott will be hosting a Town Hall on
Monday, March 26th from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Clements Recreation
Center’s Multi-purpose Room located at 8155 East Poinciana Drive.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Keep Cherrybell Open Petition

http://www.change.org/petitions/usps-postmaster-general-and-board-of-governors-dont-close-cherrybell-processing-and-distribution-center

Street Closure Update

STREET CLOSURES FOR CIVIC EVENTS

Travel restrictions will be in place to accommodate the following civic
events:

Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair – Beginning Thursday, March 22, 2012
at 1 p.m., until midnight Sunday, March 25, 2012, Fourth Avenue will be
closed to vehicular traffic between University Boulevard and Ninth
Street to accommodate the Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair.
Additionally, motor vehicle travel will be prohibited from Third Avenue
to Fifth Avenue, between University Boulevard and Ninth Street.
Crossings will be allowed at Fourth Avenue and Ninth Street and at
Fourth Avenue and Sixth Street. Tucson Police Officers will be on hand
to assist the public through the crossings. Sixth Street will be
reduced to one lane in each direction through the intersection for the
duration of the event.

Race for the Cure – On Sunday, March 25, 2012 from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.
the following closures will be in place to accommodate the participants
and volunteers for the Race for the Cure:

●Westbound 22nd Street from Alvernon Way to Country Club Road.
●North and Southbound Country Club Road from 22nd Street to
Broadway.
●Eastbound Broadway from Country Club Road to Alvernon Way.

Motorists driving through these event areas can expect delays. The
traveling public should use caution, obey all traffic control signs, and
watch for event participants and pedestrians.

Park and 36th Street Update

Update on Park and 36th

Contractor just called and said the closure of 36th St was rescheduled to Tuesday morning from 3AM-6AM instead of Monday. All westbound 36th St traffic will be diverted north and south on Park during restrictions.

Park & 36th St is almost done. They were scheduled to reconstruct a median from Sunday to Monday this past weekend, which required the southbound closure. However, weather delayed the project. I know they have had message boards posted in the area for upcoming restrictions. I just contacted the contractor and they mentioned that today Park is open in both directions and tomorrow northbound will be restricted from 6am until 6pm. And on Monday westbound 36th St will be closed from 3am to 6am for paving in the intersection; however, Park Ave will have both north & southbound traffic maintained. After Tuesday, the traffic will be on the westside of Park with one lane in each direction. They anticipate to be substantially completed with the road work in two weeks.

I-10 Update

Guardrail repair work scheduled on Interstate 10 in the Tucson area next week

The Arizona Department of Transportation will have the following lane and ramp closures on Interstate 10 in the Tucson area beginning Monday (March 26) for guardrail repair. 

Eighth Street Update

This is one in a continuing series of traffic alerts that will be
issued throughout the construction of the Downtown Links - Eighth Street
Drainage Improvement project. These alerts will announce construction,
detour and street closure information as it affects traffic.

Hank Oyama

Dear Friends:

Mary and I went to visit Hank today and he was in good spirits and
doing well, he has many weeks of physical therapy ahead of him and he
has to gain his strength, He asked that we continue to pray for him
and his family.  We brought Hank a Rosary that was blessed by the Pope
and I let him know that many of his friends were praying for him.

Thanks for all your prayers.

Richard

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Boys and Girls Club Update

“The EVENT” presented by Nova Home Loans, returns to La Encantada for an evening of food, wine, and live entertainment in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson


Over 1,500 people are expected to attend the 11th Annual “The EVENT”, presented by Nova Home Loans, on Sunday, April 22nd at La Encantada from 6-9PM.  Guests will experience delicious cuisine prepared by 50 local restaurants, sip wine and martinis and enjoy live entertainment provided by the George Howard Band, Kiss and the Tells, Tesoro, Jovert Steel Drum Band, Rescue Lights, and Jeff Lewis and Friends throughout the evening.  Tickets are $150 each and $125 is tax deductible.  The Chair of the 2012 “The EVENT” is Megan Jasper.  Co-Founders of “The EVENT” are longtime BGCT Board Members David Lovitt, Mark Irvin and Laurie Wetterschneider.

Proceeds from “The EVENT” will help save the lives of 8,000 at-risk youth club members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson by providing them with a safe place to go after school, enrichment programs and sports leagues to participate in, and a caring professional staff.  The Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson operates six strategically located clubhouses throughout Tucson.  Members are charged only $5 per school year, while the true cost to the organization is over $700.  

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Have You Signed The Petition To Keep Cherrybell Open

http://www.change.org/petitions/usps-postmaster-general-and-board-of-governors-dont-close-cherrybell-processing-and-distribution-center

Cherrybell Post Office Update - We Are Winning!

Cherrybell Update - We are winning the battle!

From the Letters to the Editor (Arizona Daily Star), the following:

Election mail will be on time

The U.S. Postal Service is taking proactive steps to ensure election mail is delivered on time in Arizona and throughout the country. We can assure our customers that we're confident in the dependable, secure delivery of election mail.

Our planned consolidations of mail processing facilities won't impact the delivery of election-related mail this November. Subject to adoption of a rule changing delivery service standards, the Postal Service is pursuing a significant consolidation of its national network of processing facilities by December 2013.

No consolidations will occur before May 15, 2012, and we'll suspend most consolidation efforts during the fall election season, in anticipation of heavy mail volumes.

Nothing is more basic to our national democracy than a citizen's right to vote. The Postal Service's role in today's voting process is a fundamental part of the process.
The changes we are seeking to make will ensure affordable mail service to support the democratic process for years to come.

John DiPeri
USPS Arizona district manager, Phoenix

Help Bring Back the Splash

Donate Now to Help Reopen Seven Closed Pools 

The Tucson Parks Foundation and the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department need your help to reopen city pools which have been closed since the 2009 City budget reductions. Community and business partnerships along with donated funds will afford additional pools to open for summer 2012 swim programs.
 

Tucson Clean and Beautiful Update

http://www.tucsoncleanandbeautiful.org/assets/docs/tcb-newsletter.pdf 

RTA INVITES PUBLIC TO SUN SHUTTLE OPEN HOUSE EVENT LEARN ABOUT SUN SHUTTLE’S PROPOSED SERVICE IN SOUTHEAST TUCSON, RITA RANCH

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) is conducting its last open house event to inform the public and obtain feedback about the proposed Sun Shuttle Route 450 serving southeast Tucson and Rita Ranch. Sun Shuttle provides neighborhood transportation and connections to Sun Tran service in Marana, Oro Valley, Catalina, Sahuarita, Green Valley, San Xavier and Tucson Estates.

COT - Transportation Updates

TRAFFIC ALERT
EIGHTH STREET DRAINAGE IMPROVEMENTS

The Eighth Street Drainage Improvement project limits extend from Sixth Avenue on the west to Third Avenue on the east and Sixth Street on the north to Stevens Avenue on the South.  Work throughout the improvement area will necessitate multiple street closures and restrictions that will impact motorists and bicyclists.

SW Gas Update

TUCSON MODERN STREETCAR
SOUTHWEST GAS UTILITY WORK DOWNTOWN


Contractors for Southwest Gas continue work in the downtown area to
move/upgrade underground utility lines in preparation of the upcoming
rail placement for the Tucson Modern Streetcar.

Sgt. Martin A. Lugo Jr. - Native Tucsonan

On Friday, March 16, 2012, Sgt. Martin Anthony Lugo Jr., United States Army Rangers - Squad Leader, Company C, 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment was awarded the Silver Star Medal in Savannah, GA and presented to his father Martin Lugo Sr. This Silver Star Medal award is by The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress for Gallantry In Action.

Tucson Metro Chamber to ID local business issues

The Tucson Metro Chamber is pleased to announce the launch of a new program to retain local businesses and help them expand. The Business Expansion and Retention (BEAR) Project will send Business Visitation Teams (BVTs) to local businesses to identify issues they are experiencing that may be impeding their expansion or may be causing them to consider moving to another area.

We appreciate the outreach of KGUN Channel 9 and their news coverage of this important program.

To learn more about the BEAR Project, please use this link:http://www.kgun9.com/news/local/142646506.html Thank you for being on the Chamber team. We can't do important things like this alone. Your membership is vital to helping the Chamber promote a strong local economy.
Sincerely,

Michael V. Varney
President & CEO

CITY OF TUCSON NEW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER AND INTERIM DIRECTOR OF THE TUCSON CONVENTION CENTER

The City of Tucson is pleased to announce the selection of Ms. Debra L.
Chandler as the City’s new Economic Development Manager. Ms. Chandler
was selected from over 40 highly qualified applicants following a
state-wide recruitment process. Ms. Chandler is currently the Executive
Director of the Microbusiness Advancement Center in Tucson where she has
worked since 2006. Previous to that Ms. Chandler worked as an executive
in the banking industry for many years. Ms. Chandler has served on the
City’s Small Business Commission since 2009 and is active in several
local and national economic development associations. Her first day of
work will be May 1, 2012.


Thursday, March 15, 2012

American Legion Auxiliary Unit 7 Update

“DINNER AT THE REZ”
BIG FUND RAISING DINNER

American Legion Auxiliary UNIT No 7

SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012 @ Post #7

4:30-6:30P.M.-$7ea. or $12.couple

Traditional Bean Soup w/Beef-Homemade Fry Bread

Homemade Oregon Grape Jelly-Prickely Pear Jelly

Assorted Cookies-Coffee or Tea

RESERVATIONS BY 3/26 – PH 294-3593

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FREE – Diabetes Awareness Day – FREE

Saturday, March 24, 2012-10am to 3pm

@American Legion Post 7, 330 W. Franklin St.
available to EVERYONE young & old alike!!!

Diabetes Assoc. to give Blood Pressure Tests,

Foot Tests, Paper Survey Test-Refreshments served!

RED CROSS availability

Sponsored by American Legion Auxiliary Unit 7, Della Hudson, President

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Trees for Tucson Update

Trees for Tucson program is a great option for residents to receive low-cost shade trees to help beautify their home and improve our community's environment, while providing long-term financial savings as the trees grow and reduce air-conditioning usage. Trees for Tucson, a program of non-profit organization Tucson Clean & Beautiful, provides these low-cost trees for planting at homes throughout much of the Tucson metropolitan area. Tucson Electric Power customers may receive desert-adapted shade trees delivered to their home for $8.00 each, if they agree to plant the trees within 15 feet of the west, east, or south side of the home. To obtain an application form, visitwww.treesfortucson.org or call (520) 791-3109.

Arizona Film Bill Update

SB1170, the Multimedia Production Incentives bill, has a new bill number. HB2127 is our new bill.  Its identical to SB1170 except it has a Department of Revenue (DOR) amendment. The amendment doesn’t change the intent of the bill.

KOLB ROAD: CONNECTION TO SABINO CANYON ROAD PUBLIC MEETING

The City of Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT), in cooperation
with the Federal Highway Administration and Regional Transportation
Authority (RTA), requests the public’s participation in a public
meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to gather public input and
update the public with information on the status and schedule of the
voter-approved RTA plan to connect Sabino Canyon Road with Kolb Road.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. - Presentation at 6 p.m.
Murphy-Wilmot Branch Library
530 N. Wilmot Road

Friday, March 9, 2012

Budget Update from City Manager Richard Miranda


                                                                                    DATE:       March 5, 2012



TO:      Honorable Mayor and                                      FROM:     Richard Miranda
            Council Members                                                               City Manager

SUBJECT:      Fiscal Year 2013 Budget

As we look ahead to Fiscal Year 2013, the City will move into a mode of cautious recovery.  The difficult cost cutting decisions the Mayor and Council have had to make in recent years are paying off now, starting to put the City in a more stable financial position. 

Since 2009, we have reduced our General Fund workforce by 22 percent (the equivalent of 900 full-time positions).  We have had to cut services dramatically, our ability to respond to the needs of our customers has been severely diminished, and we have not had the resources to appropriately maintain our infrastructure and facilities.   While we will not be able to bring back all City services to desired levels or address our many unmet needs over night, FY 2013 will mark the year we begin the process of incremental restoration. 

Next fiscal year, for the first time since 2009, we will not have to cut City services and we will not have to cut our employees’ pay in order to balance the budget.  This is welcome news to all of us, and is the result of the hard work done by the Mayor and Council and City staff over the past three years.   We are not out of the woods yet, but if we continue to make prudent and conservative financial decisions, I am confident that in the coming years we will have the opportunity to rebuild our City service levels to those our community expects and deserves, and to those that our employees can be proud to deliver.  

FY 2013 Financial Outlook
In preparing for this year’s budget discussions with the Mayor and Council, I have undertaken a line-item by line-item review of the City budget with each Department Director.  This process has been painstaking yet useful in providing me with an understanding of the detailed work program of each department, and has aided in identifying new savings, efficiency, and funding opportunities. 

One of the persistent challenges we face as a City is that our costs continue to increase to fund the  same level of service, making it difficult to break even, let alone enhance the level of service we provide.  Current projections show that next year’s revenues will be less than projected expenditures based on static service levels and fixed cost absorption, leaving a $15 million projected gap for FY 2013. 

In past years, much time has been spent discussing how best to address this gap.  Fortunately this year, the gap we are facing is more manageable than previous years (approximately 3% of the budget).  I will be proposing to the Mayor and Council that the gap be addressed through 1) debt restructuring at the end of FY 2013 only if it is necessary, 2) use of a portion of the assigned fund balance from FY 2011 that was set aside specifically to help balance anticipated budget shortfalls, and 3) suspension of the Risk Management Fund surcharge to departments, maintaining level funding rather than reducing the deficit in the Risk Management Fund next year.

FY 2013 Budget Objectives
Beyond closing the FY 2013 projected budget gap, it is critical that next year’s budget further the policy goals and service objectives of the Mayor and Council, not just maintain the status quo.  Despite our financial constraints, I believe we can achieve the following objectives in the FY 2013 Budget: 

·        Incrementally Restore Core Services - We have heard clearly from the community that core services (transportation, police, fire, and parks) are the highest priorities for the City.  In particular, the dire condition of our roadways has been identified as of paramount importance by the Mayor and Council.  I will be recommending that in FY 2013 we allocate additional funding to pay for road and median maintenance, residential street paving, and graffiti clean-up.  Funding sources could include transit van purchase deferral, transit fare adjustments being recommended by the Transit Task Force, and an additional General Fund allocation.  In terms of public safety, I am recommending that Police redeploy one squad of motor patrol to the streets beginning this fiscal year, and that Fire bring in a recruit class (33 employees) using federal grant funds.  In addition, I will recommend the City fund the opening of two additional City pools this year using one time savings. 

·        Address Critical Infrastructure Needs Affecting Safety and Security – The amount of deferred needs the City faces in terms of facilities, infrastructure, and equipment is staggering.  It is essential that we begin immediately to incrementally tackle these issues.  I will be recommending that public safety impact fees be directed toward critical improvements at the Price Service Center for the PCWIN project, which will improve communication capabilities for 911, Fire, Police, and public works departments.  In addition, I will be recommending that one time debt service savings next year be directed toward some of our highest priority safety infrastructure needs including broken bleachers at the Tucson Convention Center, hazards and security (including electrical upgrades) at parks, and elections equipment necessary for the City to continue the integrity and efficiency of our electoral process.

·        Invest in Employees and Customer Service – Our employees are the most valued resource we have as an organization.   Good customer service begins and ends with our employees, and we must create an environment that supports them in their mission and shows we value their work.  Toward this end, I will not be recommending employee furloughs this year and I will be recommending a 1 percent cost of living increase to all employees at a cost of $2.3 million.  This will be paid for by holding a portion of currently vacant positions open through the end of this fiscal year and into part of next year.  I will recommend we maintain the current employer/employee cost sharing of medical premiums to cover the 5 percent increase we will face next year.  We will focus on filling front line authorized positions where services have been most impacted, and we will re-direct resources to focus on training and employee development to enhance our service delivery methods and abilities as an organization.

·        Enhance Service Delivery through Efficiencies, Re-organization, New Funding Solutions, and In-Sourcing/OutSourcing – There is much opportunity in the organization to re-think how we do things in order to improve services without additional cost.  In today’s economic climate we cannot afford not to do this.  As we did last year, I will recommend we hire one additional Finance staff person to concentrate on the delinquent account collections and fund a modest amount of travel so our tax auditors can resume out-of-state tax audits to recover more revenue that is due to the City.  We will look toward outsourcing in some areas including finance investment management and contracting for some IT services, where this will provide greater efficiency.  We will continue to explore creative and private funding opportunities that can enhance services without added cost to taypayers, such as Bring Back the Splash private pool sponsorship and the partnership with the UA to manage Hi Corbett Field.  We will reinvigorate the City’s volunteer program to make use of people’s interest and willingness to contribute to their City.  I will be recommending that we maintain level funding for outside mandated services, however that we in-source some of the funding that has in the past gone to outside organizations and contractors. This can help improve service delivery in critical areas such as economic development, Tucson-Mexico trade, intergovernmental relations, and annexation – all areas that enhance the City’s financial position over time. We will look toward reorganization/consolidation in areas such as communications, where we I believe we can enhance our level of service without committing additional resources. 

The information in this memorandum will be presented to the Executive Leadership Team and to the Labor Council later today and will be discussed in further detail with the Council at tomorrow’s Study Session. 

I look forward to feedback from the Mayor and Council following tomorrow’s presentation and continued discussion in the coming weeks as we work to put forward a fair and balanced FY 2013 budget that stabilizes the City financially and furthers service restoration and recovery.  

Fix a Leak Week

HOMEOWNERS ENCOURAGED TO MAKE A REPAIR DURING “FIX A LEAK WEEK”

Tucson Water and utilities across the nation are promoting “Fix a
Leak Week,” March 12-18, 2012, to bring attention to the amount of
water lost through minor household leaks. Water loss through leaks
exceeds one trillion gallons annually. Most household leaks are easily
repairable.

Roadwork Update

The Street and Traffic Maintenance Division will commence their programmed Chipseal Program on Monday, March 12, 2012.

We anticipate that it will take four to six weeks to chipseal all programmed areas in this order:
Area bounded by Park Avenue to Campbell, Fair Street to Irvington
Area bounded by I-19 to 12th Avenue, Drexel Road to Valencia
Area bounded by Shannon Road to La Cholla, 36th Street to 44th Street
Area bounded by Campbell to Tucson Boulevard, Elm Street to Speedway

Notification to affected neighborhoods commenced on Monday, March 5, 2012 informing them of our intended start date.

Sweeping of the first chipsealed area will begin March 15, 2012.

A fog seal application will then be scheduled for all chipsealed locations, with an estimated completion date of June 1, 2012.

Ward 5 March Newsletter

Dear Friends:

As this year progresses, there are many things of note to report on for this newsletter.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

City of Tucson Projects Under Construction

CURRENT CITY OF TUCSON PROJECTS - UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Department of Transportation
Engineering Division
( Field Engineering 791 - 5100 )


Summary of Current Events - Week Ending Mar. 3

More than 200,000 turned out to watch the 87th annual Tucson Rodeo Parade. I want to thank Herb Wagner, Bob Stewart and the rest of the parade committee for their wonderful work and for KOLD Channel 13, for broadcasting this year’s parade live.

60,000 people attended the rodeo over nine days - this included six full performance, and three "slack" days. Based on previous surveys, about 35-40% of attendees are visitors from outside our state.

The rodeo also had 4,000 school children attend our REACh program (Rodeo Education and Children) on Monday & Tuesday, Feb. 20-21. This is a free program offered to area schools.

635 contestants competed in the Tucson Rodeo; the total purse was $430,000.

Excellent weather helped our attendance this year; the previous two years saw wind, rain and even snow.

PCOA Update

EARN ABOUT MODERN
STREETCAR CONSTRUCTION
AT MARCH 6, 7, AND 8 OPEN HOUSES

The City of Tucson has announced Old Pueblo Trackworks as the official low bid contractor to construct the Tucson Modern Streetcar’s rails, stops, and utilities. Officially naming the project contractor ends the selection review and kicks off the start of a fast-paced construction schedule for one of our region’s largest transit projects to-date. To provide the community with project and construction information, three Pre-Construction Open Houses have been scheduled during the week of March 5, 2012.