HomeMy WebLinkAboutPackets - Council Packets (2013)Stine, Michelle
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Follow Up Flag:
Flag Status:
Sincerely,
Andrea Sirois
Executive Assistant
Town Manager, Mayor and Council
Town of Oro Valley
Direct 1.lne: 520-229-4714
From: John Hoffman
Sirois, Andrea
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 4:52 PM
Standish, Michael; Stine, Michelle
FW: Half cent tax
Follow up
Flagged
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 4:51 PM
To: Town Council <council@orovalleyaz.gov>
Subject: Half cent tax
WARNING: External. Sender. Read Carefully. Report phishing.
This is the first time you received an email from this sende
attachments or taking further action, before validating its aumuinlaiy.
Dear OV Council Members.
Exercise caution when clicking links, opening
We urge you to keep the half cent tax money for what is was intended: the Oro Valley Community Center.
Yes, Oro Valley has other parks. And they seem to be doing just fine. Naranja Park was just expanded,
and the gift of land to expand Catalina State Park offers another venue for people who crave out door fun
and recreation.
But not everyone enjoys the great outdoors. Some residents prefer other activities. One of those activities
is visual art. The Community Center has plenty of programs for people who enjoy physical activities, but
their art program is beyond deplorable. The "studio" is in a gym - a gym without windows! Yes. That, of
course, is ridiculous. Oro Valley residents of all ages would utilize a decent art program.
The Community Center was slated for that money and it should get it.
April and John Hoffman
Stine, Michelle
From:
Sirois, Andrea
Sent:
Tuesday, July 8, 2025 8:28 AM
To:
Stine, Michelle; Standish, Michael
Subject:
FW: Posted on Social Media
For your records, when it becomes an agenda item
Sincerely,
Andrea Sirois
Executive Assistant
Town Manager, Mayor and Council
Town of Oro Valley
Direct Line: 520-229-4714
From: MIKE ZINKIN
Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 1:41 PM
To: Town Council <council@orovalleyaz.gov>
Cc: Wilkins, Jeff <jwiikins@orovalleyaz.gov>
Subject: Posted on Social Media
WARNING: External Sender. Read Carefully. Report phishing.
ORO VALLEY GOVERNMENT AND THE HALF -CENT SALES TAX: A BETRAYAL OF PURPOSE
On December 17, 2014, the Oro Valley Town Council raised the local sales tax from 2% to
2.5%. The motion was clear and deliberate:
"SECTION 2. Council hereby directs that the revenue resulting from this amendment to the Tax
Code of the Town of Oro Valley shall be used to meet the needs of the operations of the El
Conquistador Country Club, golf and tennis facilities as a community center."
That was the deal. That was the justification given to the people.
Now fast forward to the present. According to the current Town Manager, those "needs" no
longer exist. The Oro Valley Community Center —including golf —no longer requires this
additional tax revenue to operate. The original rationale is gone. So what does the Town do?
They move the goalposts.
I
Under former Town Manager Mary Jacobs, the use of this tax was expanded to include Parks
and Recreation. And now, under Town Manager Wilkins, there's yet another quiet shift
underway: redirecting the money to the General Fund, where it can be spent however the
Town Council sees fit.
Let's be blunt —this is a bait and switch. This is exactly why people lose faith in local
government.
If the original purpose for the tax has expired, then so should the tax itself. That's how
responsible governance works. You don't keep taxing residents just because it's convenient.
You don't get to keep the money and rewrite the purpose after the fact.
Mayor Winfield and Council members: If you actually believe in fiscal responsibility —if you
meant what you said when you raised this tax —then it's time to act like it. Sunset this half -
cent sales tax. Prove to your residents that Oro Valley isn't just another town where
governments raise taxes for one reason and quietly spend them on another.
For once, do the right thing. Eliminate the tax.