The Truth Prescott Valley, AZ

The Yavapai County Fair Association (YCFA) came into exhistance November 16, 2000. Mayor Rick Killingsworth and the council approved Resolution 989. Enacted as an “Emergency ” measure assured there would be no comment against the issue. The agreement for the nearly 200 acre parcel included the town of PV to pay $2,070,000 plus a pro-rata interest and fees over a 10 year period.

The town under ARS 9-500.11 is allowed to expend public monies for “economic development activities” that “the town finds and determines will assist in the creation and retention of jobs or will otherwise improve or enhance the economic welfare of the inhabitants”; is that the residents of Prescott Valley?

Within 6 months of signing this agreement, Mayor “Rick” became an employee of a “renter” of the YCFA and Mr. Jim Grundy (and his wife) became general manager. As a not for profit corporation, it pays no taxes. Most events are, by contract, excluded from providing ANY revenue to the town in the form of fees in place of sales taxes. My research has disclosed, the town has received (excluding water and sewer fees) ONE payment of $1,640 from a Monster Truck Show (11-01) through today (1-19-07) !

If you have visited the property, you will notice a dumpy RV trailor court and an auto race track have been added to a usually filthy Yavapai Downs property. The RV park and auto track are on Fain property and the town derives NO revenue from either even though the auto track uses the blacktop parking of the fair grounds.

I encourage you to convince me that this Money Pit is of economic value to PV taxpayers. We taxpayers send Mr. Grundy $215,553 every year per resolution 989 (see PV 2006-07 Budget page 188-189).

While construction equipment is silent; the PV budget expands for it’s favorite charity; Economic Development. The Prescott Valley Economic Development Foundation (PVEDF), Gary Marks, Executive Director, has a “new” assistant, who’s salary has been added to the town’s budgeted expense now totaling $218,690. To this amount we must add $30,000 as a donation since the PVEDF occupies town owned property at 3045 N Tani Lane’s 3,000 sq. ft. building for one $ per year.

Contrast this to a Boys and Girls Club donation of $15,000; a $10,000 DEDUCTION! Neighbor to neighbor received $16,350 in 20003-04; Nothing since! However, $5,000 is ADDED in the current budget to a Prescott Area Coalition for Tourism (PACT). The PV Chamber of Commerce (PVCC) also got an additional $5,000 to $130,000. Meanwhile, Prescott’s Chamber is independent; receives NOTHING from the city. The PVCC rents space from Fains for over $60,000 a year!

Also, the PV non-departmential budget 2006-07 (p.189) displays over 1 Million in additional rebates of town sales taxes to Fains Entertainment District and Harkins for example. Meanwhile, donations to needed services to the people dropped to 13.5% of this budget item while donations to development grew to 86.5%. 

Feb. 28th PV Tribune, “PV’s violent and property crimes up 18% in 2006″. This is no shock to me. A function of growth, crime and auto accidents rise 20-30% FASTER than population increases. For several years, PV has been growing at 16% and bragging about it. In my opinion, we are loosing “Quality of Life” as we loose our pronghorn herds, add traffic signals and add auto accidents.

You can thank Mayor Skoog and the PV council if you like.

 Remember: Bodie Thoene - “Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.”

The picture is of Granville West taken in December 06. The monthly report (May 07) from PV financial services shows a major down turn in new construction numbers and revenues from construction of mainly single family homes (80%). Monthly impact fee revenue has dropped from 137,735 to 65,404(average) through the first 10 months of the 2006-07 fiscal year. Thats a 53% decline. Revenue from building permmit fees has declined 53% (1,377,352 to 654,039) in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year. That amounts to a budget shortfall of $723,313 for the first 10 months of FY06-07

Sales tax revenues are up over the last fiscal year but not enough to offset the decline in local construction fees. Obviously the decline in our “number one industry” has far reaching effects on PV’s massive obligation to import water from the Big Chino as well as the “PV Water Auctions” which will probabily be postponed again from the projected February dates. The possibilities are stronger for an increase of the sales tax or a town property tax or also an additional increase in our water and sewer rates later this year. The money to meet our obligations to Prescott on the Big Chino project will be coming due later in 2007.

I’ll bet, you will NOT read about this in the Daily Courier or the PV Tribune!