Council hopefuls share views at forum
Questions touch on property taxes, budget, roads, PAAC
The candidates for Yuma City Council had an opportunity to express their views on city issues at a forum hosted by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday.
The candidates are Jason Bradley, a nurse and educator at Northern Arizona University; Chris Morris, owner of a construction company; Robert Scarborough, managing partner of two Yuma businesses; Mike Shelton, incumbent and educator; Ema Lea Shoop, retired and a former councilwoman; and Edward Thomas, incumbent and a veteran of the U.S. Army and Marines Corps.
After introducing themselves, the candidates answered questions that touched on a variety of city issues, including property taxes, balancing the budget, funding road improvements and the Pacific Avenue Athletic Complex, among many
others.
On the recent property tax increase, Bradley said he would have voted for it because it will fund raises for public safety and other city employees. He noted that some are leaving the community because they are not paid sufficiently and they deserve fair market wages, which will help the city retain them.
Morris said that the $792,000 that would be raised in additional revenue doesn’t even cover onethird of the pay increase and it’s not correct to use the pay raises as justification to raise taxes. Thomas stressed that it was needed to cover the public safety pay increases, noting that public safety is key to protecting the city, which is the city’s primary function.
On the topic of fixing roads, Morris said that the city needs to make sure the Highway Users Revenue Funds go to the cities, but that ultimately it goes back to reducing expenditures and increasing revenues so more funding for road improvements is available.
Shelton pitched a proposal by American Road Patch, which he said would cut the costs of road improvements. He also noted that fixing streets is the most critical issue facing the city, but that it’s a $100 million job and can’t be done all at once.
Scarborough noted that the city needs to gain the trust of voters and look at a sales tax increase that would raise funds dedicated to fixing the roads, which would be the fairest across-the-board way to address the problem.
On the question of the PAAC, several candidates voiced their thoughts. Thomas said he supports the complex and pointed out that sport tourism brings in a lot of revenues because visitors spend money by staying in hotels and buying food and other things, leading to a growth in the tax base.
Shelton said the issue should have been taken to the voters, but since the complex is already built, it can’t be unbuilt and the focus should now be on making it successful by bringing in more tournaments. “Failure is not an option,” he said.
Morris agreed that the decision to build it can’t be reversed and there’s a bond to pay. He noted that Parks and Recreation, which runs the PAAC, should be looked at as a whole and see where revenues can be increased and expenditures cut.
Scarborough noted that going forward these projects should be avoided. He said that it’s going to be one more burden on the community, when the city can’t pay police and can’t fix roads.
Shoop pointed out that the bond would be paid out of the 2% hospitality tax, which voters asked for, not to build something but to maintain the existing parks programs and infrastructure.
To put the city on a firmer financial footing, Scarborough said he would like to implement a hiring freeze on non-essential services and to decrease the budget by shrinking government through attrition and the best use of resources.
Shelton noted that parks and recreation is a very well run department and loved by the community. If these programs are cut, he added, moms and dads would fill City Hall to protest. He also noted that it’s critical to keep pools open because low-income kids depend on them. The key is to consolidate, not reduce services, he added.
Scarborough said that privatization of the more mundane chores, such as mowing, is the way to go, which would result in savings to the city.
Morris agreed that some duties, such as landscaping and upkeep of parks, could be turned over to local contractors, which would increase jobs in the private sector.
Acknowledging that he isn’t a business person, Bradley said that he would need to personally fully understand the ins and outs of the budget to find waste and opportunities to create efficiencies and cut costs.
Scarborough noted that the council typically receives the proposed budget too late, and by that time, it’s a done deal.
Shoop said that the budget is a 12-month process, and once the income is known, the council needs to determine the needs rather than the wants.
The candidates also answered questions on the proposed multiversity campus and transportation hub, the investigation of the former city administration, their views of city critics, tourism funding, binational efforts, the characteristics council members and the new city administrator should have, and the smart city proposal, among other issues.
The forum ended with each candidate giving a closing statement.
“I’m running for Yuma City Council because I believe in our city,” Bradley said, adding that Yuma has been his home as an adult and a professional and instrumental in who he is. He pointed out that he serves the community as a nurse and an educator, which has allowed him to see intimately what goes on in the community.
“I know I possess the skills of collaboration, compromise and an effective communicator. I am a compassionate human being, I will put the people at the front of every decision that I make,” he said.
Morris pointed to his experience in running businesses. “That is what I plan to bring to the table in City Council. That would help with the budget, along with the ability to sit down with other council members and the mayor and be able to negotiate and work out the best agreements that are going to work for us as a community of people,” he said.
Morris also said that he would work against “too big of a government and not overreach and take rights from the people. I will always keep rights of people in mind. And along with that, do whatever I can to prevent over-taxation,” he added.
Scarborough said his years of running a business would bring better management of city funds and finances. “I would be accessible to all citizens. I would like to see the rights of private property owners, particularly in the commercial sector, strengthened ... Private property rights have suffered after decades of the leadership from the City of Yuma,” he added.
He pledged to bring fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget and protect private property rights.
Shelton quoted 1 Corinthians 13, substituting the word “integrity” for the “love,” and said that is the principle he lives by personally, professionally and politically. “Sometimes I fail, but when I have, I picked myself up and started over again. That is the kind of value I want an elected official to have. It is the kind of value that I have. I hope people take me over the finish line … Live long and prosper,” Shelton said.
Shoop said she is offering voters the opportunity to return her to the council, noting that for many years as a council member she worked with the community, building the community.
“I’ve seen the growth that has happened, and I see the growth that can come into being. We need a comfortable work environment to retain employees and have new hires. We need to be responsible for the taxpayers’ dollars, who want to know what they’re getting in return from what we’re taking from them in dollars,” Shoops said.
“The economic atmosphere for outside investments in our city and investments within the city,” she added, noting that more people would invest if they felt comfortable with and trusted the city.
Thomas shared that over the last four years the local government, working with outside agencies, brought to Yuma nine manufacturing businesses and about 650 jobs. With the opening of the state veterans home, another 125 jobs will be coming to Yuma.
The city’s primary goal, with the council and mayor is to continue to expand the tax base, Thomas added.
To view the forum, go the Yuma Sun Facebook page.