Snider: June newsletter

Although we all hoped that the “cool spell” over the Memorial Day weekend would linger, clearly we’re in for a long, dry, hot summer. Just keep telling yourself “it’s a dry heat” – and then make your vacation plans for somewhere north or west from here as many do.

Those of us who are here for the duration will drink plenty of fluids and think longingly of October’s probable cooler temperatures.

Before I totally move away from the weather, I’m going to once again ask all of us to be extra careful with flammable and flaming things. With the outbreak of multiple fires in Arizona this month and last month, most counties (including Pinal) will be adopting strict bans on the use of fireworks and calling for extreme vigilance by the general public.

Bryan Martyn stepped away from his seat on the county’s board of supervisors April 30, leaving the board to execute a public process that would lead to the appointment of someone (of the same partisan registration as Mr. Martyn and living in the same district) to serve the remainder of his term.

Thirteen District 2 citizens – all Republican and residents of the district – stepped forward to volunteer to serve on the board and represent District 2 until Dec. 31.

IIt was a difficult task for us as the applicants were all distinguished and they all brought valuable strengths and experiential backgrounds with them. We (Supervisor Rios, Clerk of the Board Sheri Cluff, and me) ultimately chose Clark Smithson to fill the term. Supervisor Smithson brings a background in government and a determination to serve that will benefit our county and the board. I look forward to working with Supervisor Smithson.

As you may know by now, the board of supervisors had a robust discussion and consideration of a tentative budget for FY 2013 last month. After what some might call a false start, we voted unanimously to adopt the lower primary tax rate of $3.79 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation and a tentative budget of $334,515,835.

This is a 20-cent decrease from the current primary property tax rate. Total projected spending is 6 percent below last year's budget of $357 million. The vote May 25 set the upper ceiling for the budget. Final budget adoption will take place during the June 20 meeting.

When I considered the choice between lowering the primary tax rate by 20 cents or 10 cents, I pushed for the 20-cent reduction. In fact, I’ve argued for a reduction since we began the budget process in January of this year and I was pleased to see it reflected in the proposed tentative budget offered by county management.

There was vigorous debate on how to “split the baby” – do we reduce the burden on taxpayers or do we reward Pinal County employees for slogging through the doldrums of this recession? Can we do both in the new budget? Supervisor Rios pressed strongly for a one-time bonus for employees or a small salary increase. The details and implementation plans for those options were unclear but presumably could be ironed out before the final budget is adopted.

IIt is my fervent hope we can reward employees sooner than later. BUT, if we are truly public servants, our residents come first. They’re the ones who moved here, invested in Pinal County, saw their property values decline, experienced foreclosure, job loss, and other hardships – either personally or through relatives, friends, and neighbors. Those are the people I took an oath to represent.