CATALINA COMMUNITY PARK

 

Patrick Cavanaugh, Executive Assistant to Supervisor Ann Day, is looking for input from the Catalina community regarding the new Catalina Community Park, with a committee to be formed by Day for this purpose.

 

            Cavanaugh said that “People who are interested should make their wishes known, and we’ll consider them when we make the appointments. We’re looking for community-minded and consensus-building people. Some slots are already set, such as those for members from the county’s parks department and the District 1 office and flood control office. We are now seeking the ‘special interest’ members of the committee from the equestrian community, hiking community, Coronado Little League Baseball, Catalina Soccer League, etc. At the public presentation in September, we’ll be looking for members from the Catalina Village Council, Catalina Community Services, and at least two representatives from the general community.”

 

            Those wishing to respond may do so by contacting the Catalina Village Council at Catalina, AZ  or the SaveCatalina.com Web site.

 

 

ATTENTION CATALINA RESIDENTS:

SUPERVISOR DAY WANTS YOUR INPUT

 

            As District 1 Supervisor Ann Day prepares to take over responsibility for the Catalina area in January, she and her staff are seeking the community’s help in identifying areas of community concern.

            To that end, community volunteers will assist the Catalina Village Council in collecting and organizing residents’ responses. The final results will be presented to Supervisor Day’s office.

            Your responses should be short and concise, and may be sent to the Catalina Village Council, PO Box 8674, Tucson, AZ 85738, or left in the drop box at the Catalina Branch Library.

            This is an opportunity for every resident to be part of the solution. Your comments will give Supervisor Day and her staff the information they need to best serve Catalina.

 

Thank you all,

The Greater Catalina/Golder Ranch Village Council

 

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Fall Festival

 

Because the desired number of participants had not committed by the target date of September 1, 2004, the Village Council has found it necessary to cancel plans for this year’s Catalina Fall Festival (formally known as Heritage Day). The Council hopes to be able to continue this tradition next year.

 

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Arizona Department of Water Resources

 

At the next meeting of the Greater Catalina Golder Ranch Village Council on November 23, 2004, Mr. Kenneth Seasholes, Planning Supervisor for the Arizona Department of Water Resources, will be our guest speaker. We urge all of our residents to attend this very important meeting.

 

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Catalina Incorporation

 

Over the years, Catalina has grown from a small rural area in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains to a community looking toward the future without sacrificing its heritage of the past.

 

As Catalina grows with the times, many of our neighbors have expressed an interest in becoming incorporated to prevent being annexed by another community. There are many benefits as well as problems associated with incorporation. Listed below are some of the most common arguments for and against incorporation.

 

For Incorporation

 

1.      The community can express itself with the regard to the level of local services and provide those services to the community. Local government would be more responsive to the people, and it could act quickly to satisfy the needs of the community. A separate town would preserve the pride of the community and the local heritage of the area.

 

2.      A town government would receive a greater portion of state revenues that presently are not received by an unincorporated community. The town would have more powers not found in an unincorporated village and would have the power to implement those services expressed by the people.

 

3.      A town would be able to plan for future growth of the community and adopt planning and zoning regulations, which would provide the town with a plan of controlled growth. The town would also be able to adopt building codes for the benefit of the residents.

 

4.      A local government would be able to better represent the citizens in transactions with the County, State, and Federal governments.

 

5.      A local government would be able to enter into negotiations for garbage and trash collection, water, sewer, gas, and electrical contracts for the benefit of its citizens.

 

Against Incorporation

 

1.      A town may discover that it has only a limited tax base and would not be able to provide an adequate level of public services for the community. It may be advantageous to remain unincorporated or be annexed into an existing city.

 

2.      The community as it exists is either too small or does not have sufficient population to warrant incorporation. A limited amount of public services would be provided, and it may be more advantageous to receive those services from the County.

 

3.      Incorporation of a small community would only create costly duplication of services already provided by the County. This would ultimately lead to a lower level of vital services of police, fire, water, and sanitation.

 

4.      Incorporation would lead to urbanization of the community and destroy the rural characteristics that the current residents would want to maintain.

 

5.      Incorporation in all likelihood would lead to increased taxes.

 

 

These are just a few of the arguments that will be heard in the upcoming year, and it is important that the residents of Catalina express their views. Incorporation can be a blessing or a curse. It is up to all of us to approach this question with a sense of what we want to accomplish for the benefit of the community of Catalina.

 

By John C. Wagner, Jr.

District 2

Greater Catalina/Golder Ranch Village Council