Voters may force Chino Valley to close its parks, aquatic center and library if they reject the town council's request to extend the town's home-rule budget option March 10, 2009, according to council members.
"In an economic downturn the library is the first place people turn to. Yet it is one of the first things to get an axe," Scott Bruner, Chino Valley library director, said.
"It would be sad because it offers a lot of valuable programs," Elanna Jackson added.
Also, it would affect her mother, who is retired and uses it a lot. She cannot drive to Prescott, Jackson said, so she checks out five to six books from the Yavapai Library Network, which the library belongs to, at a time.
Home-rule option is one of the Arizona Legislature's five approved types of alternative expense limitations. Under Arizona law, a town has to cap its annual expenses by adhering to a state-established limit and operate under a balanced budget. However, if the state-imposed limitation does not reflect the town's needs, the law allows the town's voters to adopt another option.
"Parks and our programs are important for people's quality of life," Jason Kelly, Parks and Recreation's interim director, said. "Their closing would impact our town's residents and area residents as there are 20,000 to 30,000 people in our service area."
Town Clerk Jami Lewis, who gave a presentation on the state's authorized alternative expense limitations at a special council meeting Tuesday, said the town's current home-rule option expires in June 2009.
If voters approve the home-rule option, it will be in effect for the next four years.
Chino Valley's voters, she said, first approved the town's use of the home-rule option in 1985, and renewed it in 1989, 1993, 1997, 2001 and 2003. While about 75 percent of the town's voters approved its renewal in the 1990s and 2001, only 54 percent approved of its use in 2005.
"An informal poll showed many people voted no because they didn't understand home rule," Lewis said.
If voters reject the home rule option, the town will lose about 47 percent of its budget. The earliest the town could ask voters to approve a new extension would be in 2011, Lewis said, so if it fails March 10, 2009, the town must live with the consequences for two years.
For example, in fiscal year 2007-2008, the town's actual revenues were $15.7 million, so under the state-imposed limitation the town could have spent only $7.5 million.
Town staff projects Chino Valley would not be able to spend $7.8 million next year; $7.7 million in 2010-11; $6.9 million in 2011-12; and $7.5 million in 2012-13 if the voters do not approve the extension.
In looking at the amount of money each of the town's departments would lose in fiscal 2009-10 if it loses 47 percent of its budget, Councilman Ron Romley said a $1.9 million cut in Public Safety's $3.2 million budget will devastate that department.
Vice-Mayor Joel Baker said by state law the town must pay for certain things, like public safety, which will mean a bigger impact on other departments.
He also stressed that the town must pay its debt service obligations regardless if voters approve the home-rule option or not.
Staff members said the council would ultimately decide which departments would receive money and at what levels.
Bruner said the library already has suffered cutbacks. Since January, the library has lost three staffers, including its cataloguer, and had its hours cut. The library used to be open from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Now it is open from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays.
"As a result, the library is no longer a place for students to do their homework after dinner," he said.
Bruner said people are upset about the shorter hours on Saturday, also.
In the past year, he said, 8,449 children attended the 258 free programs the library offered for them.
The library also has six computers with Internet on them that are booked solid. "We have to chase people off them to be able to close," he said.
Residents take advantage of the wireless Internet service the library provides at no cost to them.
With a weak economy, many people are having their cable TV service disconnected. Instead, they come to the library and check out one of its 4,000 videos, Bruner said.
If the library were to close, he doesn't know where Chino Valley residents would go to pick up the books they've ordered from other libraries in the Yavapai Library Network.
Kelly said if the parks close it would force the three youth sports organizations, with 1,000 participants in football, softball and Little League to find other fields to play on.
The action would also affect the Community Center Park, which is undergoing rehabilitation. The park has seen a significant increase in drop-in use since the town has completed the aquatic center and new field.
With the area's weak economy, Kelly sees a trend in people depending on their local and regional parks for outings instead of driving to distant ones. So, if the town's parks are closed they won't have local parks to visit.
Lewis said all notarized arguments for or against the home-rule extension must be into the Town Clerk's office by Dec. 10 with the $80 fee.
"This vote for home-rule will not raise your taxes," Romley added.
The council members invite any town resident who has questions about the home-rule option to call Lewis or Town Manager Gerald Stricklin at town hall at 636-2646.
Contact the reporter at jeherrmann@prescottaz.com
Reader Comments
Posted: Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Article comment by:
paul gerace
With Chino Valey now at the highest sales tax rate in the state and an aquitec
center that only a handful wanted,they should close city hall!!
Why didn't they see this comming earlier and plan accordingly? I'm fed up with this seemingly race to be the best and biggest. I loved Chino when it was small and peaceful.
You may use my comments any way you wish. permission granted!
Posted: Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Article comment by:
No fan of Fann
So now the Town Council is threatening the citizens with reductions in the police department. Guess what, at the rate the officers and staff are leaving the PD, as well as the deep cuts made already, we won't have to worry about cutting costs. This council is in no way, shape, or form a fan of public safety. Their only concern has been and will be how to make money for the Fann empire. The more money they get, the more money they will spend. There are other options to the home rule than they council being given a blank check on the taxpayers account.
Posted: Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Article comment by:
No name provided
Saying that home rule will not raise our taxes is a little misleading. It suggests that taxes will not go up, which is not true. The only thing that reduces taxes is putting a cap on spending. There are threats of closing the library without any mention of cutting back town hall itself. The library existed long before town hall became so top heavy.
