Joe Ferguson
Reporter for the @TucsonAgenda. Likes don’t = endorsements. Contact me @ joe@tucsonagenda.com.
- Public service announcement: The garage under Presidio Plaza closes at 8. Even if the City Council meeting wraps up at 8:40 pm.
- Can you bribe someone to let you out?
- A very kind security guard rescued the city manager, a councilman and two reporters.
- 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 After a brief break, I am back with the "regular" Tucson City Council meeting.
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View full threadThe Council approves a variance for the land owners. #TucsonCouncil
- With that, we are adjourned.
- The Council is leaning towards a waiver but there is a question about the underlying zoning. No one in the room is completely sure if it is zoned residential. Not even the owners - but they are selling it, so they can’t make assurances that the property will be used as residential.
- (The document I am reading doesn’t have a parcel code.)
- City Attorney Mike Rankin said the Council would need to create a specific resolution to offer service to this parcel, which again no one lives on. The owner said it would cost $50,000 to drill a well on the property.
- This is not a tactic to force the owner into annexation. In this case, it isn't feasible.
- What would you do? (I'll tell you what the Council decides in a minute.) #TucsonCouncil
- This parcel does not meet the city's "three-side" rule, which automatically grants approval if the parcel is surrounded by parcels on three sides with ACTIVE service. This parcel has two sides with active service, and one side with future obligation.
- According to the city, the owner is trying to SELL the property.
- But if you read this map, you will see that most of the properties surrounding it either have existing service or are obligated to get water service when the property is developed.
- Ok, I'll admit I am fascinated by this last item. The owner is outside of the city limits and wants to connect to the city's water lines, but they do not qualify for the city's water policy. They are asking for a waiver for their one acre policy.
- According to the owner, they bought the land in 2007 and they are being held to a water policy established by the city of Tucson in 2013.
- Another supporter (current count: 14) read the budget and goes after increases to the police department to find the money. "This is shameful," she tells the #TucsonCouncil, calling the city budget a moral document.
- The final speaker has worked for the city for the last 28 years. He said he was recently re-classified in the streets department, but points out that the police department and fire department gets so much money that other departments get squeezed.
- The last speaker notes that while 39 percent of the people who pay the library district tax are city residents but 60 percent of those who get PEEPs scholarships are city residents.
- She is one of the first to come with a specific request - pay for PEEPs for one more year and she (and others) work to find a different funding source. "One year. I promise I am not moving the goal post," she tells the Council
- For what it is worth, there are more people here tonight that are tied to the financial side of PEEPs - teachers, and other school employees more than parents.
- A woman asks everyone in the room supporting PEEPs to please stand up. It was almost everyone in the room - save for the journalists and few city staffers. (We are not part of the story.)
- The latest speaker is tying the defeat of Prop 414 to the Council not listening to the community, asks them to re-asses their priorities and including in that - paying for early childhood education. #TucsonCouncil
- There are a lot of handmade signs.
- FWIW, pages 31 - 32 has programs that they've already cut. It includes eliminating 36 jobs at the City. #TucsonCouncil
- We are at a cool dozen supporters of PEEPs addressing the Council tonight. #TucsonCouncil
- Another speaker tells the Council to increase the PEEPs program - this time to a $1.5 million. While they are passionate about this issue and I have no doubt that they want more funding. But it isn't a serious request. There isn't a single vote for it on the Council this year.
- Could the Council find the money? Maybe - a majority of the now seven member Council would have to agree on cutting something else. Page 29 would has a list of programs that are getting budget increases (and why.) tucsonaz.hylandcloud.com/221agendaonl...
- A teacher, in his very best teacher voice, tells the Council - "I am very disappointed in you." He asks the Council to restore the PEEPs budget to last year's allocation - $750,000. He ends it by saying: "Do better and be better."
- I believe the count is eight speakers who have asked the five Councilmembers who are here in the building - plus Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz who is joining the meeting virtually.
- Earnest Q: What would you promote about Tucson? The food?
- Oh, the weather is great in the winter. Beautiful dark skies. (Yeah its better if you take a short drive at night.) A half-hour drive and you are in the mountains. Yes, wonderful food. And we're not Phoenix. 😇
- Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association (AzLTA) seems to have a paid speaker addressing the Council. (He said he doesn't live here.) #TucsonCouncil
- It looks like his name is JD Butler and he is the Government Affairs & Statewide Outreach Manager for AzLTA.
- I mean Tucson is 250 years old this year and this is a great opportunity to bring people together so they can all feel like they are Tucsonans. So where is the celebration? Where are the leading citizens promoting the advantages of our city? This birthday should have been a year long operation.
- I know enough to be dangerous but I am pretty sure some things are being planned to celebrate Tucson's birthday.
- He notes many hotel operators are struggling, forced to pay the tax while an AirBNB does not. I noticed there are about a dozen people in the audience holding signs, supporting his request to explore other sources of funding.
- Current PEEPs supporters that have spoken before the Council tonight: 4 #TucsonCouncil
- I liked the old City Hall. They should have preserved it. The council could have met there and it would have been a wonderful museum for the city to use for historic documents and artifacts.
- It is beautiful ....
- Thank you for clarifying! 😂
- YW, but I honestly worried SOMEONE might thought the city was paying six figures a year to give the unholy candy to children.
- For the record, PEEPs is this context is not the sugary easter candy. It is an acronym for Pima Early Education Program Scholarships (PEEPs) - a early childhood education scholarship program.
- A hotel owner asks the Council NOT to increase the surcharge on hotels, says it will cost visitors more and he predicts it will lead to a decrease in tourism - for Tucson. He suggests families will chose to stay in Marana or Oro Valley instead. He suggests a domino effect, hitting restaurants too.
- There is a problem with her statement. The city is currently funds PEEPs at $750,000. As a resident skeptic, I wonder how she arrived at the number.
- I have a strong suspicion that a lot of speakers will be here to convince the Council to restore the $750,000 for PEEPs. I'll probably not repeat every PEEPs plea, but I am definitely going to count how many speakers are pro-PEEPs.
- There is light at the end of the tunnel! The discussion on the city's NEXT annual budget will be limited to an hour tonight. This is kinda like call to the public but limited to the budget. #TucsonCouncil
- And the first speaker, a proponent of PEEPS, tells the Council to fully fund the program at $800,000. She says she has a child in the program.
- Thank you, Joe! For all your work!
- You are welcome. I (mostly) love covering these meetings.
- As it is not a core function of the city, it - like many other programs that have been historically funded by the city - are on the chopping block.
- Councilman Kevin Dahl is leading the charge to add it back to the budget and PEEPs supporters came out today to urge the Council to add the money back into next year's budget.
- There is a large group of people here today. I suspect all of them (save the three reporters in the room) are here for the public hearing on the city's FY26 annual budget. #TucsonCouncil
- So why are PEEPs supporters here? City Manager Tim Thomure's recommended budget will cut $750,000 it gives to PEEPs, which would eliminate two programs that offer high quality education to about 90 children between the ages of 3 and 5.
- Dahl said he got a letter from a business owner who is concerned about lowering the speed limit along First Avenue. The city believes reducing the speed along certain corridors, it will make streets safer.
- The Council reads resolution No. 23911 - designating May 5, 2025 through May 9, 2025 as "Heat Season Awareness Week." #TucsonCouncil
- There are several people in the audience here tonight support of PEEPs, I expect them to speak soon. #TucsonCouncil
- The Council approves almost all of the consent agenda, including an agreement with the Arizona Board of Regents/University of Arizona to cut down on the number of fire alarm calls that the Tucson Fire Department responds to.
