JANUARY - FEBRUARY - MARCH 2018
REGULAR MEETING OF THE GILA
COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Tuesday February 20, 2018 10 AM
Gila County Courthouse
Globe Regional Justice of the Peace Jesse Bolinger is
retiring at the end of the month, it was disclosed at this
week's Regular Meeting of the Gila County Board of
Supervisors. As to why, all we know is Bolinger was quoted
as saying, “it was time.”
Jesse Bolinger
As is tradition, Bolinger suggested a replacement for the
remainder of his term, which concludes at the end of the
year. Long time county employee and current Court
Administrator Jonathan Bearup is his choice. The
Supervisors accepted Bolinger's resignation and probably
would have confirmed his replacement, but Bearup was
unable to attend the meeting to accept. It most likely will be
a done deal at the next Board of Supervisors meeting, a work
session next week.
The Board okayed an RFP for the county's primary banking
service. Regulations require it to be put out for bid every
five years.
And a bid was accepted on a parcel in Gisela, for less than
the lien amount. William Taggert won the property, bidding
$500 on an $800 lien.
Roads and bridges were discussed at the meeting including
designating Verde Glen Road as primitive, but attorney Jeff
Dalton interrupted the start of the discussion on the north
county street to announce a lawsuit was just initiated over it.
The matter was tabled.
A contract for road improvement in Young on Baker Ranch
Rd, off 288, was awarded to Woodson Engineering
Surveying, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $62,185.
Construction will start this summer.
Another contract is going to Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc.
to build a replacement for a bridge in the north county Rim
Trail subdivision. $183,000 was approved to replace the
obsolete, one-lane structure.
A suit has been settled. The issue was county assessment of
property taxes, and the settlement has J. Noland Franz and
Kathleen Deegan agreeing to an assessed value on their
north county property of $657,910.
A work session was held after the regular meeting to discuss
an employee compensation study underway now by UM
Global, the firm that conducted the last such survey in 2014.
Prior to that, the most recent survey had been 2005.
Between 2005 and 2014, there was a five-year wage freeze.
The 2014 results showed numerous imbalances in salaries
from county department to department and overall,
insufficient salaries to attract capable workers. Gila County
was 9th out of 11 Arizona counties surveyed in salary levels.
It also had the lowest benefits for vacation and sick time.
Among the 2014 enactments was an overall wage increase of
6%.
The current study has identified five challenges
1. Gila County's pay plan structure continues to need
improvement.
2. The pay minimums are too low to attract qualified
applicants.
3. It is particularly hard to attract candidates in some
disciplines because the pay ranges aren't competitive.
4. Some jobs remain unfilled for extended periods, in some
cases over a year.
5. Employees that are hired and trained leave for higher
salaries elsewhere.
The ongoing study should conclude in about six weeks, but
initial results showed significant improvement over 2014.
Now workers with 1 to 5 years experience average 3% more
than similar workers in comparable counties. Those with 6
to 10 years experience, average 5% below comparative
workers. And workers with over 10 years of service average
1% above comparable counterparts.
In 2014, the pay range in some categories in Gila County
was lower than over 17% compared to salaries in other
counties.
For this study, Gila County workers are being compared to
workers in Apache, Cochise, Graham, La Paz, Mojave,
Navajo, Santa Cruz, Yavapai and Yuma counties; the cities
of Apache Junction, Avondale, Bullhead, Casa Grande,
Chandler, Cottonwood, El Mirage, Elroy, Prescott, Safford,
Show Low and Surprise; the towns of Buckeye, Florence,
Queen Creek, Sahuarita, Payson, Marana, and Oro Valley;
and the Arizona Department of Transportation.
Across all municipalities, benefit packages for workers range
from 40 to 45% of salaries. Gila County workers receive the
equivalent of 40.2% of their salaries in benefits, which is on
the low end of the scale.
Many of the salaries for entry-level jobs in Gila County are
based on minimum wage requirements, which in 2017 went
from $8.05 to $10. Currently minimum wage is at $10.50.
Next year it will go to $11, and in 2020 it will level off at
$12 an hour, with cost of living increases, if applicable,
annually thereafter. Gila County salary offerings range from
a low of $21,840 to a high of $176,000.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE
GILA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Tuesday February 7, 2018 10:00 AM
Gila County Courthouse
It's been ten years since the last planned development of any
area in unincorporated Gila County was undertaken, and that
one didn't go too well, ultimately costing the county money.
At yesterday's Regular Meeting of the Gila County Board of
Supervisors, a project in Pine got the green light after being
stalled a year, due in part to county regulations and,
according to Gila County Attorney Bradley Beauchamp, in
part due to a lack of communication from the project's
attorneys. Beauchamp said it was his understanding that at
no time did the developer's lawyers contact the county to
discuss what needed to be done. Now the $6 to 7 million
development deal will move forward with 18 homes to be
built in Pine.
New Pine Development
Pine was a big part of the meeting's agenda, including a
Public Hearing to adopt Resolution 180201 which would
amend Gila County's Comprehensive Plan by deleting the
Pine and Strawberry sections, replacing them with a
combined Pine-Strawberry section. The focus has to do with
preserving the charm and character of the Pine-Strawberry
area, which became an issue four years ago with the coming
of the Dollar Store. The Resolution passed to a big round of
applause from citizens attending the meeting in Payson.
Beauchamp also informed the Supervisors of problems with
a business in Pine, which has been accruing a $100 a day
fine since September for operating a wine tasting business in
a residential area. The Board approved Beauchamp's plan to
take the mater to Superior Court with the goal of stopping all
sales, removing all advertising and tearing down all
structures built without permits. But drinking won't be
curtailed in Pine. Michael Anthony Dahling, owner of the
Old Country Inn, known for its wood fired pizza, gets a
restaurant and liquor license for the Pinewood Tavern there.
Dahling couldn't make the meeting due to the birth of his
child, but Pasyon attendees were pleased with the license.
Official comments from the Board of Supervisors to the
Tonto National Forest on the Draft Wilderness Evaluation
Map were passed. The map hasn't been revised since 1985,
and the Tonto, which comprises about 55% of Gila County,
would like to double the size of its wilderness area going
from one third, to two thirds of its lands. The County
opposes the move, particularly over the inevitable
deterioration of many roads. But even more vexing, is the
prospect of more wolves imported into the area, which is the
goal of one of the forces behind the reclassification effort.
The Supervisors felt an urgent need to comment because if
the Forest Service decides to consider reclassifying some
portions of the map, it would instantly restrict those lands,
until a final determination is made-and that could take years
to be resolved.
Teresa Williams, former finance employee for the City of
Globe, and Michael Ferreira, from SCATUI, San Carlos
Apache Telecommunications Utility Incorporated, were
appointed to the Personnel Commission, filling year-long
vacancies. Their terms will expire at the end of 2020.
And congratulations to McSpadden Ford, which won the
bid for two pickup trucks. Public Works Director Steve
Sanders said there were three bids, and McSpadden's at
$28,428 each were the winners.
WORK SESSION ON THE
FISCAL YEAR 2019 BUDGET
GILA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Tuesday February 6, 2018
Gila County is losing money, it was disclosed at the Work
Session on the Fiscal Year 2018-19 budget, held after the
Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting yesterday. According
to Finance Director, James Menlove, General Fund
expenses look pretty good compared to revenue for this
fiscal year, 2017-18, but budget projections over the next
five years show a General Fund shortfall every year.
Currently Gila County has $11 million in reserve. If the
projections are accurate, the reserve account will be depleted
by 2024.
What's worse is that even with budget cuts, expenses will
outdistance income. Board Chairwoman Tommie Martin
explained that 75 to 80% of the County's costs are for
employees. Cutting costs will not reverse the trend. The
only thing that will help is bringing in more revenue.
Supervisor Tim Humphrey concurred saying what's needed
is for the county to create infrastructure to grow its tax base.
That sentiment was echoed by Supervisor Woody Cline,
who admitted that how to achieve it is challenging.
None of the Supervisors suggested raising taxes. The
current tax rate has been constant for many years. No
proposals were suggested for raising income, but this
meeting was the first round of many budget discussions to
come.
One thing is certain-Gila County is not alone. Graham
County has already tipped over, and LaPaz County will be
running a deficient shortly.
The other budget components, HURF, the Highway User
Revenue Fund, and the half cent tax, presented a rosier
picture, with revenue exceeding expenses currently.
Forecasts are for that to continue, albeit not by a great
margin.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN
OF MIAMI MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Monday February 12, 2018 6:30 PM
Town Council Chambers - Sullivan Street
A 12.9% increase in the amount Miami property owners will
have to pay for garbage and trash collection was approved at
last week's Regular Meeting of the Miami Mayor and
Council. That decision came after a public hearing, with no
members of the public choosing to comment. There also
was no public response to another public hearing on the rates
for sewage collection. The Council approved raising them
2.5%.
Miami has a new finance director, Stacie Allison. She'll have
her hands full. Town Manger Joe Heatherly reviewed the
current state of the Town's budget. Fiscal year 2017-18 is
pretty much on track but accounts payable, bills the Town
must pay, stand at $434,000. But that's down from $750,000
outstanding as of two years ago.
Heatherly also noted that several Miami businesses have not
been remitting sales tax. And he discussed a new pricing
structure for road repair when utilities have to cut into Town
streets. It hasn't been finalized yet, but the expected fee is
$40 per square yard, or less for extensive repairs.
The Cobre Valley Regional Aquatic Center will be one step
closer to reality if a bill presented by State Senator Frank
Pratt passes. It creates a new taxing district necessary for
the new pool to be funded encompassing the Globe and
Miami School Districts, which includes unincorporated Gila
County land. The cost projection is about $68 per year, per
house in the new district.
Heatherly mentioned that the Cobre Valley Country Club is
being taken over by owner Freeport McMoran, which has
hired a new management company and will be updating the
clubhouse, golf course and pool, including installing a new
sprinkler system for the golf course.
The cost of health benefits for Town employees is going up
by 4.5%, but the good news for workers is that Miami will
continue to pay 100% of the cost. But as family coverage is
not included, workers will shoulder the increase for that.
Scout Master Joe Bronson from Boy Scout Troop 101 was
in attendance with Scouts Kelderhouse, Combs and Moya
who were working on their Community Merit badges.
In Call to the Public, Bullion Plaza's Tom Foster announced
he is applying for a grant for window replacement.
Councilwoman Susan Hanson announced the first phase of
the Bullion Plaza lighting project is complete, and
demolition is scheduled for the Habitat for Humanity site in
the next few weeks.
The Council approved a renewal for the Bullion Plaza Gym
management agreement with Miami Genesis for another
year, effective next month. The Council also approved a
contract with KE&G Construction of Tucson for the work on
phases three through five of the Miami Wastewater Project.
KE&G's bid was $10,447,648. The work will start next
month and end in June of next year.
A bridge belonging to the Town at the far end of Miami
Vandal Park by the entrance to BHP Billiton on Highway 60
is badly in need of repair. BHP announced they'll put up the
half a million dollars necessary to renovate it.
Town Librarian, Delvan Hayward, who announced her
overview of the upcoming Miami Centennial project and an
essay contest associated with it. The Centennial celebration
will begin on March 5th with a proclamation and cannon
shot in the morning at Bullion Plaza, and end on March 10th
after a day of festivities including car shows, dance groups
and the Centennial band prior to a closing dinner at Bullion
Gym.
The writing contest is open to Miamian's of all ages. Five
categories will be judged from adults writing about what
makes Miami special to them, to kids doing crafts projects.
Cash prizes, courtesy of Southwest Gas, will be awarded.
But the deadline is looming-- noon on Wednesday February
28th. For more information contact Delvan at the Library,
Kristy at the Senior Center, or any of the Miami school
offices.
Councilwoman Rosemary Castaneda suggested a historic
walking tour for downtown Miami.
And an Executive Session was held to discuss former Police
Chief Scott Gillen's suit against the Town of Miami over
retirement funds.
REGULAR MEETING CITY OF
GLOBE MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Tuesday February 13, 2018 6:00 PM
City Council Chambers - Pine Street
It cost Hank's, formerly Jerry's, $600 for a permit to change
their sign. At the Regular Meeting City of Globe Mayor and
Council, last week, it was agreed that a new fee schedule for
sign permits is needed. Approval was given to lower the fee
to a flat $65 no matter what the sign, for the time being, until
a new schedule is determined.
The City is also working on structuring the relationship
between contractor and city building requirements, which
are now separate and confusing.
Congratulations to Mayor Al Gameros who was elected
chairman of CAG, the association of Central Arizona
governments. CAG's Alan Urban was at the meeting to
announce that now is the time for the city to determine the
focus of the next round of CDBG funds. The last
Community Development Block Grant that Globe received
covered a new fire truck. The one previous to that, was for
the elevator at the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts. Urban
cited the last figure of $417,000 for Globe as a benchmark
for what to request this time.
The potential demolition of a structure at 609 Second
Avenue was put on hold after the Code Enforcement
Director announced that an offer had been made on the
property. While removing blighted structures is a big help to
the look of the city, the cost of demolishing them is steep and
is added to the lien amount that must be satisfied by a future
purchaser, resulting in many such properties remaining
unsold.
Head of Planning and Zoning, Chris Collopy, gave a report
on HB2365, the state bill requiring Arizona municipalities to
permit the use of right-of-ways for small cell sites. The bill
mandates the fee for each such site to be limited to $50 a
year. Nothing passed, because municipalities have nothing
to say in the matter.
Public Works Director Jerry Barnes reviewed the water
infrastructure projects funded through WIFA. Not only is
everything on target, the city has been able to save about
$400,000, which Barnes hopes to use for additional projects,
with WIFA approval.
The Council approved Fire Chief Gary Robinson's
amendments to Lexipol, the software containing the
department's policy manual. Globe Police Chief Mark Nipp
received approval to issue an RFP for new case management
software. The total cost would be around $40,000.
Councilmember Lerry Alderman was in attendance after
recently being hospitalized. Mayor Gameros mentioned
possibly moving the library to another location. The
discussions are in the preliminary stages. He also noted that
the next “Alive at 5” Chamber of Commerce Mixer would
be held on Pine Street on March 1st from 5 to 7 PM.
TOWN OF MIAMI
STRATEGIC PLANNING MEETING
Saturday February 10, 2018 9:00 A - 2:00 P
Miami Town Council Chambers
Will the Miami pool open this year? There was no definite
answer at Saturday's Town of Miami Strategic Planning
meeting, held from 9 to 2 at Town Council Chambers.
As previously reported, the pool is in need of repairs, which
will run about $122,000 if all goes well and no other
deficiencies are uncovered. What isn't going well is raising
the funds. While the town is hopeful that local businesses,
particularly the mines, will come forth to cover the deficit,
without those contributions that are needed this month, it
will be a long, dry summer.
The biggest impediment to luring new residents and
businesses to the area? Probably the sorry state of the local
schools, an issue that plagues Globe equally. But much
more than that was discussed at the meeting.
Town Manager Joe Heatherly began with a SWAT
review-SWAT being Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats to the Town's existence.
Heatherly sees the strengths as Bullion Plaza, the community
pool, library, art galleries, antiques, Miami's history and
culture, Mexican food and its location, being close to the
mountains and lakes.
In addition to its notorious reputation, particularly for bad
schools and police, Miami's weaknesses include its poor
infrastructure and location in a flood plain, widespread blight
and lack of community pride.
On the upside, Miami's opportunities are the possibility of
new housing, more mine development, grant funding, new
businesses, the coming better infrastructure and the possible
annexation of nearby unincorporated areas.
Threats to Miami were enumerated as extensive drug usage,
vandalism and potential pollution, which might be the result
of coming mining projects in the town, in addition to an
aging population, limited youth programs, vanishing local
businesses, and a pervasive feeling of Miami being old and
decaying.
Code Enforcement Officer Josh Derhammer was at the
meeting to discuss his efforts to combat what is Miami's
most vexing visual problem-- blight. He's attempting to find
the owners of abandoned houses and give them the
opportunity to profit minimally by turning them over to
people will rehab them as a condition of ownership. Public
Works has also been monitoring the safety of some homes.
Deficiencies will result in fines.
But it isn't just private property. The public works barn
behind Copper State Sanitation is falling down. It's badly in
need of being demolished and rebuilt, but Miami has no
money to do it.
There's a proposal for a River Walk, with $1.5 million to
build a platform by the river on two blocks along the Bloody
Tanks Wash. Miami Genesis funded the designs to the tune
of $5,000. Now the town is hoping for a grant to provide the
money to build it.
Plans for an amphitheatre on the grounds of Bullion Plaza
are also underway. Like the River Walk, the designs are
finished. The Town is hopeful that grants will emerge to
build it.
As for combatting youth problems, two possibilities were
raised. Heatherly mentioned conversations with Fernando
Shipley about the new Cobre Valley Youth Club, the
outgrowth of the former Boys and Girls Club. It's currently
distant from Miami near Besh Ba Gowah, but Shipley is
searching for a larger facility that will be more central to all
the local communities.
Heatherly is also desirous of putting the Miami Senior
Center to better use. It currently closes after lunch, making it
an ideal location for afternoon youth programs, including
tutoring.
The impending explosive growth of Resolution Copper in
Superior is seen as something that could bring new residents
to the town, but everyone agreed that the state of local
schools is potentially a barrier to that.
Economic Development Specialist Renee Targos is in the
process of prioritizing Miami's needs and potential solutions,
for a presentation she'll make at the next strategy meeting.
Among her ideas is creating a more significant online
presence for the area including Facebook and YouTube.
KQSS' Jon Cornell suggested looking at existing local
opportunities like the Cobre Valley Transit vehicles, which
could inexpensively be transformed into rolling billboards.
Also at the meeting was Bullion Plaza's Tom Foster; the
EDC's Karalea Cox; Michael 23 from the Miami Arts
Commission and Taliesen; Kristy Regalato of the Senior
Center; Councilwomen Susan Hanson and Rosemary
Castaneda who were also representing Miami Genesis;
Mayor Darryl Dalley; and Jason Donofrio from Taliesen.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CITY
OF GLOBE MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Tuesday February 27, 2018 6:00 PM
City Council Chambers - Pine Street
In a work session preceding the Regular Meeting of the City
of Globe Mayor and Council, Paul Jepson, the city
manager, during a talk on Globe becoming more
“business-friendly,” reported the decision that city permits
for all signs will be $100. But Hank's, formerly Jerry's, the
long-standing business in Globe that was charged $600 for a
change in their sign, which led to the decision, will not
receive a refund. Business friendly?
Efforts are underway to revamp all city permit fees. Sewer
hook up fees are waved until new amounts are in place. The
goal is to have all fee-related information easily found on the
city's website, but it's a work in progress.
A branding study has been contracted by Globe. The
winning bid came from Ignite Brand Management. Try as
KQSS did to find a track record of successfully promoting
various communities or regions, the only municipal
government campaign we saw on Ignite's website was “Vote
Kingman”. And the blog on that site hasn't been updated in a
year. Good luck, Globe.
Globe has image problems that will take more than a
marketing study to address. Debbie Cox, owner of Service
First Realty on Highway 60 across from Two Lanes bar used
'Call to the Public' to voice her first-hand frustration. (Hear
Globe has a new finance specialist-that's an accountant. This
one is named Carl Dudding.
And Globe has a couple new policemen: “Hank” (Richard
Mueller), with eight years of experience, worked with Chief
Nipp in Superior. Steven Williams joins with a 17 year
police track record including SWAT experience.
Unfortunately neither will be working with Chief Nipp here.
Though KQSS saw the Mayor and a few Councilmembers at
Globe's sparsely attended “Alive After Five,” event
downtown Thursday evening, and though they knew about
it, no one even hinted about the email we'd receive a few
hours later.
Linda Oddonetto, the "Economic Development Director"
inexplicably forwarded a Forest Service email from last May
to which she attached a terse notice that the city accepted the
resignation of Globe Police Chief Mark Nipp effective
Thursday March 1st.
Bob Folker is now acting chief. Good luck to Bob-- he's
gonna need it.
If KQSS were to rank city employees, Mark Nipp would
lead our list. All we know is the announcement of his
“resignation” came after extended executive sessions. We
use the word “executive” loosely. World's of luck to Mark.
Globe Water is writing off $6,671 of uncollected fees. That's
actually good news as it's only half of what they've written
off last year.
The fire department will be getting “scuba” gear. The cost of
the self-contained breathing apparatus will total $27,000 but
Globe's contribution is less than $11,000.
Globe is applying for a Freeport McMoRan Foundation
Community Investment Funding Grant of $2,000, primarily
for sewer inspection. Mayor Al Gameros is working with
State Rep. David Cook to funnel more rural community
funds Globe's way. An IGA between ADOT and Globe was
approved for resurfacing and sidewalk repairs of Oak and
Hill Streets. The project will run $757,000 including a city
match of $43,000.
Also approved was a four-year contract with the Pinal-Gila
Council for Senior Citizens benefitting elderly and disabled
adults through the Globe Active Adult Center.
And a bid by Rodriguez Construction for just over $25,000
to repair the roof on the police-fire building quickly got the
nod. Repairs must be done right away.
There will be a joint Globe-Miami Council meeting at
Bullion Plaza on March 19th at 5:30.
Turning out for the aforementioned sparsely attended “Alive
After Five” event was Mayor Al Gameros, and, in the words
of the late Bill Taylor, The Clown Council, along with
Resolution Copper's Bryan Seppala, Bullion Plaza's Tom
Foster, and the Chamber of Commerce's Ellen Kretsch.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN
OF MIAMI MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Monday February 26, 2018 6:30 PM
Town Council Chambers - Sullivan Street
Former Police Chief Scott Gillen will be receiving about
$13,000 from the Town of Miami, it was disclosed at last
night's Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council there.
And former Police Officer Darlene Alonzo will get over
$11,500.
The issue is an arcane one arising from the lawsuit that the
PSPRS, the public service employees pension fund, lost. It
collected excess contributions from every employee until the
suit. The result was that employees were credited with the
excess against their future contributions. But in the case of
employees no longer on the job, the process is more
complicated. Due to IRS regulations, the PSPRS can't refund
the money directly. So former employees must sue or present
a notice of claim to the municipality where they worked.
The municipality is responsible for satisfying the suits and
claims, and the amount of the actual retirement funds they
pay out are credited to future payments the municipality
must remit. The legal fees are borne entirely by the town.
So in the case of Gillen, the almost $13,000 he'll receive
includes excess contributions of $7,903, $1,021 in interest,
and $4,000 in legal fees.
On a happier note, as expected the council approved the
necessary permits for the 9th Annual Miami Loco Arts
festival to be held April 20th through the 22nd. They also
approved BHP's offer to rehabilitate the bridge on Highway
60 and Davis Canyon Road.
Finance Director Stacie Allison announced the Town is
sending out letters to businesses, which should be in the
Town's sales tax system and are not. That means those
businesses are not remitting sales tax. There was no mention
of whether they were collecting it. Allison is also making it
a priority to deal with cash flow management and reports,
integral to successful grant applications.
Town Manager Joe Heatherly reported that Scott Powell is
working on the audit for the last fiscal year. A first draft
should be available on March 6th and the audit should be
finalized by the end of the month. Also ready by the end of
March will be the designs associated with the CDBG Street
Project. Work is underway on them. And retiring at the end
of March is Phyllis Smiley, the attorney representing the
Town.
Mayor Darryl Dalley announced an upcoming Copper
Corridor Mayors Meeting, 9 AM on March 20th. And Joe
Heatherly added there's a joint Miami-Globe council
meeting at Bullion Plaza Gym at 5:30 on the 19th
Councilmember Rosemary Castaneda mentioned the
Centennial Dinner and Dance coming up on March 10th.
Tickets will not be available at the door, so buy them now at
the Chamber of Commerce. The food choice is pasty or
Mexican.
JOINT CITY OF GLOBE AND
TOWN OF MIAMI WORK SESSION
Monday March 19, 2018 5:30 PM
Bullion Plaza Gym
Last night's joint City of Globe and Town of Miami Work
Session was sparsely attended-even by the Councilmembers
themselves. Miami barely had a quorum, with Mike Black,
Susan Hanson and Sammy Gonzales not in attendance.
Mike Humphrey and Charlene Giles from Globe were also
absent. But CAG's new executive director, Robert
MacDonald, was there on behalf of the Central Arizona
Governments association.
Robert MacDonald
Miami received $200,000. And they spent all of it, only to
find out that the money doesn't belong to the Town. A
retailer submitted sales taxes in error to Miami, which
should have gone to Globe. Town Manager Joe Heatherly
announced an agreement has been reached with Globe and
the State for repayment, but it will take a long time.
The big community question-will Miami be able to open the
Hostetler Pool this year-was answered affirmatively. The
$122,000 for needed repairs has been secured. $10,000 has
already been received from Freeport McMoran. Capstone
will be contributing $5,000, and other donations are
promised. The United Fund will provide the rest of the
money, which is expected to amount to $72,000. The
$122,000 figure is based on what is visible. Should the work
crews run into unexpected damage below the surface, more
funds might be required.
Freeport McMoRan is also working on addressing problems
with the pool at the Cobre Valley Country Club, which
should be open this summer.
As for the Regional Aquatic Center, State Senate Bill 1474,
which would allow for a special taxing district to include
property owners in unincorporated Gila County, necessary
for the project's funding, did not emerge from caucus. The
lawmakers questioned why people should be taxed for other
people to swim, apparently not realizing, that is exactly how
every public pool in the state is funded. As Evelyn Vargas
from the Aquatic Center Committee pointed out, there is not
one pool in Arizona operating in the black on its own. All
are supported by taxes. The debate underscored the need to
present more background and documentation to lawmakers
prior to the next go-round. It's doubtful the issue will be
raised in the fall, but almost a certainty it will come up again
next year. Without the State allowing for the creation of a
special taxing district, an aquatic center here can not happen.
Plans continue on the project, and BHP Billiton confirmed
its commitment to donate the land for it, 18 acres off Russell
Road.
Globe Code Enforcement Specialist Michelle Yurkovich
discussed the Blight Forum she attended in Superior earlier
this month. The biggest hindrance Superior faces in fighting
blight, particularly in some of the downtown structures, is
the inadvertent tax break Pinal County gives to people who
don't rehab their properties. Taxes increase significantly
when property is improved, so it's more cost effective to let a
low or no use property deteriorate. Superior is trying to
eliminate that disincentive. Yurkovich said she and others
are working on securing more HURF money for smaller
communities. She also reported progress on the burned out
house near Fry's. It's been bought, secured, and cleanup is
under way.
Gila County Supervisor Tim Humphrey was in attendance,
speaking on the County Youth Work Program. In the past,
only two people participated. This year, there will be 17.
The six-week program works similarly to an internship, with
chores designed to capitalize on the strengths and interests of
each individual involved. More than anything, it gives
young people something to do. Students from high schools
and colleges in the county can apply through the Gila
County HR department and their labor will be compensated.
Supervisor Woody Cline heads the effort, which costs the
county about $3,000 per worker.
Humphrey invited both mayors to an upcoming open
meeting to discuss items of mutual interest to Globe, Miami
and Gila County.
Globe and Miami are going to have a joint booth at the
Annual Meeting of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns
to be held in August.
Anna Petty, Community Specialist from Capstone was
given an award of recognition from the Lions Club
International Foundation, for helping raise to raise $7,000
for disaster relief for weather related victims in Houston and
Florida. Also on hand was Foundation Coordinator Fred
Garmeson, Lions' Steven Ravencamp, and Capstone
Superintendent of External Affairs, Timothy Ralston.
L-R: Fred Garmeson, Steven Ravencamp,
Anna Petty, and Timothy Ralston.
On a completely unrelated note but of interest to the
community, two temporary judges have been appointed to
fill the void left by Jesse Bolinger's unexpected retirement
as Globe's Regional Justice of the Peace. Local criminal
defense attorneys, Daisy Flores and Joe Albo, got the nod.
KQSS was surprised at Bolinger's decision to retire now,
rather than after his term in office concludes at the end of the
year. In response to our question as to why he was leaving
immediately, he said, “With my retirement benefits at
maximum levels which can not increase with more time of
service and on the advice of my financial advisor I decided
to retire.” We were perplexed over that response as to our
way of thinking, it seems to belie the concept of community
service. As to why the County didn't follow Bolinger's
recommendation to appoint Court Administrator Jonathan
Bearup to fill his shoes, KQSS hears it wouldn't have been
in Bearup's best financial interest, as he would have had to
take a pay cut.
And on a very sad note, Globe Councilmember Lerry
Alderman is stepping down at the end of his term December
31st due to his health.
All the entrants (and the winners!) in the Gila
REGULAR MEETING OF THE TOWN
OF MIAMI MAYOR AND COUNCIL
Monday March 26, 2018 6:30 PM
Council Chambers - Sullivan Street
Can Miami actually pay Globe $8,000 a month? That
question hung in the balance when it was announced at
Monday Night's Regular Meeting of the Miami Mayor and
Council that the town would be doing just that. The figure
even surprised Globe officials. Assuming Miami can make
good on that amount every month, it will take the Town from
next month through July 2021 to repay the tax funds they
received and spent that should have gone to Globe. The
incorrectly remitted amount is $268,789. With interest,
Miami owes Globe $288,000. The state discovered the error.
Good news about the Hostetler Pool from Town Manager
Joe Heatherly who announced that the winning bid was in
line with what the town expected, approximately $122,000,
and the contractor believes the repairs will take about three
weeks.
Heatherly also discussed the wastewater project. Next week
he'll be giving a deposition in the suit against previous
contractor Kincaid. Work on phases three through five will
commence at the end of April, with an anticipated
completion in 14 months. During that time, workers for the
new contractor will be residing locally.
Finance Director, Stacie Allison, said she sent out 36
non-compliance letters to local merchants not remitting sales
tax. Whether these merchants collect the tax was not
discussed, nor was what percentage of local businesses 36
merchants is.
Substantiating data was also missing from the report given
by Miami High School principal Glenn Lineberry. He said
Miami was the highest ranked high school in Gila County,
but didn't mention who ranked it, or the criteria involved.
Lineberry also noted attendance was up 9%. KQSS later
qualified that the 9% figure was measured over a three-year
period. The number of computers at Miami High has risen
from 24 to 175. The school has been painted for the first
time in 50 years and work is ongoing on auditorium
renovation. Like most public educators, Lineberry decried
the lack of sufficient funding. But in the case of Miami, the
amount received per student, $6500, is less than half the
average school across the country receives.
Lineberry also announced that the number of graduates with
job and college applications has tripled in one year, mostly
due to help from the Americorp worker stationed at the
school. But he didn't mention the base number of students,
making the it impossible to determine the impact of that
gain. Almost as murky is the meaning of that
accomplishment. College application rates have long been
considered a defining factor for high schools. Exactly what
relevance a job application might have on anything was later
somewhat revealed in Lineberry's comment that students
need to be encouraged to develop a work ethic. Too many,
he said, don't know how to work and have no career
expectations.
Principal Glenn Lineberry
The most encouraging facet of Lineberry's report is his
understanding of the importance of schools to the health of
the community. The quality of local schools is a major
determinant in relocation choices of families and employers,
which is a long-term impediment the area.
Patty Sjolen spoke about the new sign ordinance in Call To
The Public. She asked the Council to re-evaluate the whole
thing, which she sees as generically worded boilerplate
language, with no relevance to Miami. She suggested the
Council talk with merchants here before passing an
ordinance that makes sense for local businesses.
Retiring Miami Chief of Police Spencer Preston gave what
he quipped was hopefully his last report. For February, there
were five traffic accidents and 31 traffic stops, which
resulted in 22 citations including five drivers with suspended
licenses; eight adult arrests, two juvenile arrests, 18 911
calls, and seven medical 911 calls.
Mayor Darryl Dalley reminded the public that candidate
packets are now available at Town Hall for anyone interested
in running for Town Council.
