The Truth Prescott Valley, AZ

The King James Bible states in ACTS 6-3 “Wherefor, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom,whom we may appoint over this business.”

I encourage each of you to attend PV council meetings, or at least; view on Cable channel 13 or view in streaming video through your computer. You can use your computer (dial up internet is not recommended) to connect through the town’s web site www.pvaz.net click on the video camera in lower right side of front page and follow instructions for a previous meeting or at 5:30 PM on council nights to watch it live!

 Judge for your self if proper discourse is exercised on the critical issues by our mayor and council. Also, call town hall at 759-3000 and ask to speak with Mayor Skoog or a council person or leave a message to be returned. You can also ask for an appointment to speak with them. Of course, you should have exercised your issue with the appropriate department first. This is only fair as we have very well qualified employees in Prescott Valley.

If still a problem; Call me, Tom Steele at 772-4146 or E-Mail pvtom@cableone.net

 Note on page 3; tax facts, if PV doesn’t stop “giving away” 43-85% 0f our tax dollars to developers; we WILL have a town property tax and soon! Also note, that 40% of the town’s General Fund’s revenues are from our 2.33% sales tax.

What they DON’T say is that monthly or quarterly REBATES to the Fains and numerous other commercial developers take Millions of transfers out yearly!

Larry Tarkowski, the town manager, does hold sacred 15% or .33 of our sales tax for major road improvements. Note; your street is NOT major and gets a quick chip seal every 6-7 years. I suggest our streets should get a better repair and resurface with consideration who is paying the bills in Prescott Valley.

In the Friday Nov. 3rd., PV Tribune. page 12, was a full page ad :”YES for HUSD Schools”. Note the ad was paid for by the HUSD “yes” for our kids committee, Marnie Uhl, Treasurer.

Ms Uhl is the Ex Director of the PVCC, which receives 135,000 dollars from the PV town treasury this year. In addition, the 11 listed supporters includes Ms. Uhl and Steve Rutherford, who is ALSO a developer and recipient of out PV taxes in the form of rebates of 42% of town sales taxes on Eastgate Development.

I have submitted a “letter to the editor” speaking out against the 41 Million dollar bond issue for the board to spend. My letter has been denied publication because the newspapers are ALSO pro maximum growth. So much for a free press. My reasons for being against the bond issue is, this will not help poor teacher pay and provides a lot of “extras” that are of no educational value. I do think they need new busses; but 9.4 Million; not 41Million worth. The fact is poor planing abounds at HUSD. The new Granville Elementary School on Glassford Hill Road was not even open a year and is already over crowded.  Poor planning should NOT be rewarded.

The Bond issue passed.  Yet another example of apathy and the LACK of a Free Press in our area.

You may not know most all of the vacant high weed fenced property in PV is county land that the Fain’s pay about 48 cents per acre in property taxes. You notice ALL parties political signs located at numerous intersections on their fences.

Civic Center at Lakeshore.

Durring the 2005 election for Mayor and council, only Tom Steele for Council signs were removed by Fain as “not being approved”. This is a private property right; but is it fair? Next, I put up signs 2-3 inches outside Fain’s fences. Within 4 hours PV town employees were taking my signs down. Reason; they were in town right-of-way. (You may notice homes for sale, yard sales, missing pets in such location(s) go unmolested).

So at a minimum, PV management practices “selective” enforcement depending who is involved. Since I have questioned town spending on select groups and a variety of town investments and actions; I am a target of their enforcement policies. Of 5-6 police reports I made on stolen political signs in various locations; no action resulted in arrest. Several of the signs were on private property with permission of the property owner. One PV police report I have a copy of; shows when the investigation led to the Fain Signature Group (FSG), the investigation stopped. Harold Wise signs were put in place of mine with a label from the PV Economic Development Foundation (PVEDF) which receives over $180,000 a year from the Town of Prescott Valley. Remember this when reading or hearing Gary Marks, Director of the PVEDF, as he embelishes his accomplishments in Prescott Valley.

In the past year, Residents concerns surrounding Rt 89A development at Viewpoint Drive were trumped by a pro development Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission and pro development mayor and council. The Fain Signature Group announced in March, striking a deal with WalMart to build a Super Center on Glassford Hill Road. Again, P&Z and mayor and council approved over the disapproval of most nearby residents and citizens concerned over the location and traffic. Recently, Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) approved 2.4 Million for barrier construction on Rt. 69 at the West enterance to town. Five years of accidents (126) including 6 fatalities and 35 injury accidents; 23 accidents and 4 deaths from crossover center median. Complaints mainly from Victorian Estates residents has caused Prescott Valley’s town  manager, Larry Tarkowski to turn down ADOT’s offer in favor of a “beautification” project and higher cost highway seperation.

My point is, when there is NO conflict with development and developers; Tarkowski and the council  DOES listen to the citizens.

The headwaters of the Verde River begin above Chino Valley. Joined  by Granite Creek, the first 24 miles are the most critical to the year around flow. The possibilities are present for the stream flow to be lowered or eliminated with the Big Chino project to import water to Prescott and Prescott Valley.

The picture is from the Verde Canyon Railroad tour taken from Clarkdale to Perkinsville. It’s a great trip with famimly and your camera. The picture is from April 2006.  I’ll bet it’s beautiful now (Oct 25th) with the colors of fall.

Keep the Verde River in mind and let your local elected officials know how you feel about sustaining the flow of the one year around flowing river in Northern Arizona. For additional info: http://upperverdewaterissues.org  also; www.VRPartnership.com

The week of October 8th 2006, John Munderloh, Water Resourse Director, informed me PV cannot reach “Safe Yield” without importing additional water. Safe Yield, or the balance between water removed from the earth and what new water is supplied by nature is a state requirement by 2025.

As a PV councilman, I voted against the Prescott IGA (inner government agreement) to buy the Big Chino Ranch as it is now called. I did so because there was no provision requiring the imported water be used to insure our water supply. Current plans require all “new” water be sold to developers for new homes (12,000). Thus, only “recharged waste water” could be utilized for meeting safe yield.

Receintly, Mayor Skoog and the council voted 7-0 to “sell” our current wast water credits (allowed by the state) to developers to build more homes and the sale proceeds used to pay for PV’s share (46.8%) of the Big Chino project. This vote followed a previous vote(7-0) to raise our water and sewer rates 30%.

As of May 7th, no water auction has been anounced.  Most likely this is due to the slump in housing sales that is damaging PV town income. however, financial requirements for PV’s part of the Big Chino Project must come from somewhere. Current payments are coming from town bonding authority.