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Hot topics on the ballot in Sierra Vista. Early voting starts Thursday for General Election
Sierra Vista Herald ^ | Adam Curtis

Posted on 10/08/2014 10:45:06 AM PDT by SandRat

SIERRA VISTA — With early voting starting Thursday, now is the time to bone up on the local issues that will be decided at the ballot box during the Nov. 4 General Election.

For Sierra Vista voters, with no city candidates facing runoffs, it really is all about issues. Three ballot questions, to include two hot topics, will be posed to city voters this year.

A citizens’ initiative seeking to ban the use of photo enforcement cameras within the city limits has garnered the most attention recently, with the initiative’s organizer placing several large signs around town. King’s Court isn’t far behind, as members of the tennis community have submitted arguments against the city referendum that would enable, but not require, the city council to sell the tennis club property, which was donated by Dr. Bill McCormick in 2012.

The final question is another referendum for the city, asking for the adoption of its latest state-required general plan, Vista 2030.

City Clerk Jill Adams said the publicity pamphlet regarding these questions should be reaching local voters soon and is currently available on the city’s website, www.SierraVistaAZ.gov, in the elections section of the city clerk page.

Aside from the arguments submitted for this pamphlet, a group identifying itself as the “Community Solutions PAC” tucked a brochure taking stances on these issues into some local doors. There is no filing for such a political action committee and emails from both the city and the Herald/Review have garnered no response.

Adams said that there would be no requirement to form a committee if the organization raised and spent less than $250 but the brochure does identify the group as a PAC.

“Ban the cams”

Speaking of political committees, Robert Montgomery will be updating the status of his filings with the city to reflect planned expenses in excess of $500 made to promote Proposition 408, which seeks the ban of cameras enforcing speed and red-light running laws.

The Hereford resident who organized the citizens’ initiative, Montgomery said he has not yet exceeded the limits of the $500 threshold statement he filed with the city but is right up against that level and intends to upgrade his committee, which will require formal campaign finance reports.

He has posted several signs that read “ban the cams.”

Montgomery is also among the four people who submitted arguments in favor of the ban, which appear in the publicity pamphlet.

No arguments against the proposition were submitted.

If approved, the proposition would terminate the city’s contract with Redflex, the private vendor operating local photo enforcement systems at five intersections, without any penalty. The contract is currently set to expire in February, 2016.

The city does not collect revenue from the citations, aside from a required $4 per ticket for police safety equipment, as it contracts with Cochise County for municipal court services.

The city’s stated interest in the systems had been to reduce dangerous accidents and act as a force-multiplier for the police department.

The arguments in favor of the ban cite a study performed by a local engineer, who asserts that no increase in safety can be shown due to an unrelated trend of decreasing accidents locally, statewide and nationally.

To sell or not to sell

Ever since King’s Court was donated to the city in 2012, what to do with the facility has been a hot topic at city council meetings, as members of the local tennis association have voiced persistent opposition to any potential sale or lease of the property.

They did so again in the five arguments against the ballot question, which appear in the publicity pamphlet.

No arguments in favor of the question were submitted.

The city council established the election because it lays all options on the table, to include the possible sale of all or a portion of the property. Such sale requires voter approval because the property is worth more than $500,000.

Most recently, City Manager Chuck Potucek has expressed interest in exploring the possibility of maintaining the six best tennis courts, while making a plan to turn the property into a neighborhood park.

No such plan has been presented yet and Potucek is waiting for the vote and subsequent council direction before investing staff time one way or another.

A lease agreement, which garnered the city council’s OK in a split vote, was shelved when the private developer didn’t follow through on the deal.

The agreement would have provided assurance for ongoing tennis activities at the facility.

The city has been exploring the possibility of leasing or selling the property to save the money needed to maintain it annually but Potucek said no new private interest has been expressed.

The site includes a building that was once the location of several businesses, to include the Sports Gallery Bar & Grill.

The city has budgeted $50,000 to demolish the front building of the facility, which will improve access and not impact the tennis activities.

The front portion is in the worst condition and Potucek said its demolition, slated for early next year, should aid any path forward.

From dream to reality

While the city’s latest general plan is the result of a state mandate, its investment and emphasis on early public input went well beyond the bare bones requirements.

Launched back in December 2012, Dream Your City asked residents to imagine Sierra Vista in 10 to 20 years and gathered input online, at meetings, and via take-home discussion kits. It was an award-winning public outreach campaign that served to lay the foundation for the general plan up for adoption on Nov. 4.

The plan was also reviewed and tweaked by the Planning and Zoning Commission over the course of about 14 meetings, before ultimately being recommended to the city council in a 6-1 vote. The council approved the plan unanimously, establishing the Nov. 4 ballot question.

Laid out in broad strokes, the plan is broken into 17 elements, which cover virtually every aspect of city governance.

It’s available at the Sierra Vista Public Library and can also be accessed online by going to www.SierraVistaAZ.gov and searching for “Vista 2030.”

If voters shoot down the plan, the city will continue to use its current general plan until a new one goes through all the necessary steps to reach the voters again.

Early voting starts Thursday

Voters can begin turning in their early ballots for the Nov. 4 General Election on Thursday and can request an early ballot until Oct. 24.

The county is sending out early ballots to over 32,000 voters.

For more information, or to request an early ballot, contact the Cochise County Recorder’s Office at (520) 432-8358.

For more information on races throughout Cochise County, go to www.cochise.az.gov and navigate to the “Elections” page.


TOPICS: Local News; Politics
KEYWORDS: arizona; sierravista


Beatrice.Richardson@svherald.com Robert Montgomery, who launched the citizens' initiative to ban photo enforcement cameras in Sierra Vista, has started posting signs promoting proposition 408 recently.

1 posted on 10/08/2014 10:45:06 AM PDT by SandRat
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To: SandRat

Don’t vote early!
Your vote is nullified if a candiate drops out; or info come out on the candidate just before the election!


2 posted on 10/08/2014 1:42:54 PM PDT by HiJinx (Time to read "EFAD" once again...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

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