THE PRESCOTT PUNDIT: July 2007

Friday, July 27, 2007

Prescott Pundit rules of engagement

As the moderator for this Blog I welcome any and all input. Please post and give us your views and thoughts. Ask questions; if we can't answer your question we will find somebody that can. Give us information. We want to know what is going on in your mind, and hear what you are hearing. Also even though we try to keep our "ear to the ground" about Yavapai County AZ we can't get it all. I will not tolerate libelious, slanderious, or threatening remarks or statements about anybody. Lets have some fun and learn from each other with the goal to help our county and its cities to become better informed as to what we really want and get them to LISTEN!

How to join in the "talk".

As most of us are not experienced "bloggers" we might be intimidated by adding our thoughts. It is very easy, jump in and add your comment. Search the archives below and to the left of this note to select the subject ( by the way; if you can't find a subject match just select a city or the county you want) you want to comment on; click on it, then just click on the word "comments" under the subject. A window will appear with a box to type your comment in. Just type in as you normally would. You will note that there is a button you can select to be anonymous if you so desire. If you want to be anonymous click on that button. After you have entered your input just click the button at the bottom that says "publish your comment" and you are all done. Check back often to see what is going on!!!

We don't care to know who you are if you don't want us to know. The host will never divulge your identity to us. If you want us to know who you are that is OK too. Your thoughts are much more important to us than anything else.

All you experienced "bloggers" will know what to do if you want to sign in so I won't bore the rest of the folks with those details.

'08 Election Discussion

SPRINGER KICKS OFF REELECTION CAMPAIGN
(GRAB YOUR CHECKBOOK AND HIDE)

District 1 Carol Springer has kicked off her campaign for reelection. Given that her first term has been nothing short of a disaster for Yavapai County, we thought we should prepare you for some remarkable campaign strategy that is in store for you.

First off, you will hear what a great supporter she is of small business. You know, like Las Vegas Ranch, M3 Companies, Townsend Construction (now bankrupt), and other “small business” developers. Now a true small business is indeed important to the national and local economies, but it plays an additional and not all that unique role in Yavapai County. Namely, it helps make up the shortfall in tax collections created by the corporate welfare bestowed upon larger “small business”.

Next you will hear how she is and always has been for the working guys and gals. They too are a necessity for Yavapai County as they share in the contributions helping to erase the tax collection shortfall. If she were truly interested in the welfare of the working people, she would have focused her efforts on creating a sustainable base of good paying jobs rather than lavishing her attention solely on the highly cyclical construction trades. But such a course would have required real effort, forward thinking, and most of all an honest assessment of the true needs of Yavapai County on a long term basis, taking into account the politically bothersome issue of water.

Oh yes, and then you will hear about water. You will be told time and again that there really is plenty of water, and that any hint of a problem is simply a myth perpetrated by all the new (5-years or less) residents who are nothing but a bunch of troublesome no-growthers and NIMBY’s. In truth, she may actually believe this. After all, she is one of the politicians primarily responsible for the lack of progress over the last 10 years on reaching a plan to begin thinking about a plan to find a way to start talking about a plan to discuss the impact of Safe Yield. To be fair, she did have a hand in bringing about the one measurable impact upon Safe Yield - - helping to ram through 30,000+ permits for building homes prior to the actual Declaration.

Seems to me that if she and her campaign committee really know so much about the water supply, the tax payers would be well served if that information were given to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Geological Survey, and other groups involved in many of the ongoing studies designed to find out how much water is really down there and what it will take to pump it up. All the studies could then be cancelled with the savings accruing directly to the citizens stuck with paying for all these efforts. Instead, she will likely float trial balloons about conserving our way out of any problems. A bit of a misnomer since conserving relates to saving, but in Yavapai County, as in most of the rest of Arizona, conserving really means reallocating the existing supply; nothing will actually be saved.
About the only thing that wasn’t overheard was how important her reelection is for the children. After all, that’s where most bankrupt political ideologies try and hang their hats - - we must protect the children. But the campaign is just getting under way, so fear not. There is plenty of time for some creative (crafty?) logic to include that in her bag of tricks.

A point for discusion

Representation without Taxation

Many of you know that in Yavapai County the wishes of the majority are often not followed. District One Supervisor Carol Springer has made it clear that the Williamson Valley corridor is getting a 5 lane road whether the residents want it or not. Yavapai County’s Planning Division in reviewing the Williamson Valley Corridor Plan has stated “In our research, 30% of all property within the Planning Area Boundary is owned by 16 property owners under various legal entities. Their input would appear to carry more weight than, say, a property owner who owns a two acre parcel.” Apparently the interests of the few big land owners carry more weight than the wishes of the rest of us.

What you may not know is that the few large land owners pay very little in property taxes for their favored status. Check the taxes paid for large acreages by some of the Williamson Valley landowners. We have all recently received our tax bills and many of us pay as much or more for far less property. My property tax bill for one undeveloped 36 acre parcel is over $2800, or $77.80 per acre compared with $0.067 per acre for the undeveloped land owned by those listed below. That is a ratio of more than 1000 to one.

Family Entity Acres Assessed 2006 Taxes

Greg Arthur 85.14 $222,818 $365

Irene Stringfield Stringfield Ranch LLC 1272 $245,769 $1,276

John Hunt 767.3 $879,168 $1,189

Michael Pierce Bar Triangle LLC
5574 $188,527 $1,046

Puntenney Long Meadow Ranch Inc
2774 $1,440,884 $6,694

Stephen Pierce Las Vegas Ranch +
8299 $2,110,205 $3,569

Ty Myers Section 9 Investment LLC
633.9 $193,569 $55
Source: Yavapai County website, http://www.co.yavapai.az.us/
Thus it seems that the large landowners will have us pay to build the roads and infrastructure to increase the value of their land. The powers that be, Carol Springer et al are committed to seeing that we pay for these improvements. The large landowners have representation without taxation. We have taxation without representation. Remember to do something about this when you vote this fall and next year.

Why a Blog about Yavapai County, AZ

As anybody that has lived in Yavapai County for any amount of time can attest; I am sure you have read, or seen many actions that you disagreed with, didn't want to happen, wanted to happen, or where just plain frustrated with.

Maybe it was the scar where the new Lowes big box store is being built. Maybe it is the building of another Walmart that nobody seems to want. Does the area really need 3 Walmart stores? Maybe going to 4 or more? Possibly you are really worrying about the loss of the beautiful Verde river due to the planned pumping of the "Big Chino" aquafier by Prescott. The Williamson Valley really got you going; for or against? Maybe the Glassford Hill road extension is right up your alley; maybe not. Chime in with your thoughts. Maybe you are just sick and tired of the county and cities giving away our tax revenues as incentives to "big box" retailers, land owners, and developers to build what we really don't want. Or maybe you feel that some development that would be good for the area is ignored or mis-managed. It seems to this writer that if the developer/land-owner really has a solid business case for development, and really wants to develop/build here we don't have to entice them.

It is time to breakdown the "dis-information" that is rampant throughout the county/cities governments that we live with. It is time for the citizens of this county to start being treated like real people, with real ideas, real concerns; and yes, with valid input to the democratic process. You don't have to be a large land-owner/contractor/developer to be heard. We want the truth. We want to be a viable voice. We want to be heard! It doesn't happen today!

This Blog is a place to accomplish these things; and possibly more!

We will accept and will not edit all input to this Blog whether we are in agreement or not. What a concept!!!!

As time goes on the plan for this Blog is to publish articles to inform the citizens of this county what is really being said, planned, accomplshied (for good or bad) throughout the county. We will however be focused on the mis-management of the Yavapai County and its cities relative to those issues that effect the lives of all of the residents of this county.

We will obviously also tell you the good things that happen too.

Never forget; "It isn't a done deal" until the citizens of this county say it is!!!!!

With all of that said please join us often and post a note when you can, so we really know how you feel.

THE PRESCOTT PUNDIT