Residents of District 1,

It seems that things seem to slow down during the summer months, but here in Pinal County the summer means we are heading into a busy time of the year.

Our 2011-2012 fiscal year comes to end in the beginning of July.  We are in the process of developing a new budget for 2012-2013.  I can tell you now the county will not raise the tax rate for this fiscal year.  As a matter of fact we may reduce it by 10 or 20 cents per hundred dollar assessed valuation.

On June 20, the Board of Supervisors adopted a fiscal year 2012-13 budget of $334,515,835. This is a budget that is six percent lower than last year’s budget. 

The First week in May in Pinal County as been officially proclaimed by the Board of Supervisors as Juror Appreciation Week. The Clerk of the Superior Court, Chad A. Roche, ap- proached the Board to secure the proclamation that honors Jurors who answer the call to Jury Service.

“The right to a jury of one’s peers is a concept that anchors the American justice system,” Roche said. “It is a vital duty and privilege of citizenship,” he continued. The Clerk’s office plans on highlighting the im- portance of Jury Service throughout the week.

Todd Graham, first-year head football coach at Arizona State University, will appear at the Florence Holiday Inn Express as the featured guest of the Florence Chamber of Commerce during its monthly luncheon, May 15 at noon. The lunch and program, "Speaking Victory," is presented by the chamber, the ASU Sun Devil Club, and the ASU Foundation President's Community Enrichment Programs.

"We have a large number of Sun Devil fans in the Florence area, and I’m looking forward to meeting as many as I can,” said Graham, who is 49-29 in his six-year head coaching career and most recently was head coach at Pittsburgh in 2011. “Getting together with the Florence Chamber folks is a great way we can continue to spread the word about ASU and our football team.”

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors unanimously appointed Gold Canyon resident Ronald LeDuc to fulfill the remaining term as Constable of Apache Junction Justice Court Precinct Seven.

Pinal County District 2 Supervisor Bryan Martyn, announced that he would be stepping down from his current position, and accepting the position as the next director of Arizona's state parks system.

He will be replacing interim Director Bill Feldmeier.

Martyn was elected as one of the three members of the Pinal County Board of Supervisors in 2008.

On 05-09-12, around 4:30 a.m., an unknown person(s) broke in to an unmarked Pinal County Sheriff’s Office vehicle parked at a residential address in Casa Grande and stole the following items:

The Union Pacific Railroad first announced plans to construct a classification yard in the Picacho area in 2006.  Last month, Arizona’s state Senate and House approved a resolution in support of the project.  Senate Concurrent Resolution 1044, sponsored by Senator Al Melvin, (SCR1044) passed the House with a 46-4 vote and passed the Senate 19-9.   

Malicious prosecution suit arises from 2009 ‘road rage’ incident in Apache Junction

A Notice of Claim was filed on April 23, 2012 on behalf of Robert Eck, Jr., Robert Eck III and Cynthia Eck for more than two million dollars in damages from Sheriff Paul Babeu and Pinal County for “maliciously ordering the filling of unfounded criminal charges against Robert Eck, Jr.”

Sheriff Babeu recently honored two Arizona City teenagers for helping to save a woman who was discovered lying unconscious in front of a residential home.

On April 27th, Salvador Morreno, 11, found the woman near South Huntington Road and Benito Drive in Arizona City. As Morreno tended to her, he flagged down Antonio Ramirez, 15, who called 911.

Casa Grande joins in suit, allege County withheld funds

The cities of Apache Junction and Casa Grande are suing Pinal County and County Treasurer Dolores J. Doolittle for withholding tax increment financing (TIF) funds since Oct. 28, 2010.

“As a result, the cities have been impoverished by the failure of the County to distribute the TIF funds,” according to the lawsuit dated June 19, 2012.

Call it a by?product from being one of the fastest growing counties in America, the number of homes and business with alarm permits in Pinal County has grown to over 15,000 for the first time since permits were issued in 2003.

Cardiologist Dr. Robert Siegel piloting private plane

A prominent Valley cardiologist and founder of the Apache Junction Hospital (Arizona Regional Medical Center) died in the crash of his small private plane near Las Vegas, New Mexico on Mother’s Day, May 13, 2012.

Dr. Robert M. Siegel, 63, was killed in the crash reportedly after experiencing engine problems shortly after refueling and taking off from the Las Vegas airport.

In July 2010, less than 2 years ago, Florence Community Healthcare, a 23-bed hospital in Pinal County, opened its doors to provide care for the town's residents.

Prior to the facility opening its doors, residents were forced to travel to Casa Grande or Phoenix for treatment.

This week however, the same healthcare facility closed its doors and moved its patients to other healthcare facilities.

A very kind man from the Hidden Valley area south of Maricopa called Animal Care & Control after he found a stray dog covered in cactus needles.

An Animal Care & Control officer responded, rescued the brown and white boxer mix puppy and took him immediately to Maricopa Animal Hospital.

The Animal Control staff thinks the puppy was so hungry and dehydrated that it attempted to eat a cholla cactus.

Pinal County Animal Care & Control announces that dog licenses may be obtained at four locations around the county.  Customer service representatives in three of Pinal County’s One Stop service centers are now able to take pet license applications.  There are One Stop locations for pet licenses in Florence, Apache Junction and Oracle.  

May 3rd, 2012 was a dynamic day for Pinal County, the Town of Florence and the surrounding areas.

The first Pongamia Tree sustainable biofuel demonstration site in Arizona was presented to the community, thanks to a partnership between Johnson Utilities and TerVivia BioEnergy.

Looking out over 15 acres, you could see small trees planted a few feet apart from each other, filling up rows and rows of land.

Use of Fireworks Banned in Unincorporated Pinal County, Most Public Lands

Due to the extreme fire risk and the fact that nearly one million acres have already burned in parts of Arizona, the Pinal County Board of Supervisors enacted a ban on the use of consumer fireworks.  While Arizona Revised Statutes 36-1606 made it possible for people to purchase consumer fireworks, the statute also allows counties to ban the use of fireworks if a “reasonable risk of wildfires” exists.

While it is not against the law to purchase fireworks, discharging them in unincorporated Pinal County is against the law while the ban is in effect.  The Board can lift the ban in the future when the risk has subsided due to increased rains.

Base tax rate down 20 cents to $3.79

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors approved an amended tentative budget for fiscal year 2012-2013 totaling $334,515,835 in a special meeting on May 25. This budget reflects cuts of $23 million from last year’s county budget which totaled $357,096, 950.

My Friends,

It has been more than four years since we first met on the campaign trail.  In that time we’ve experienced a lifetime of adventure, success, failure, passion, compromise, satisfaction and disappointment.  To you all, I say “Thank you.”  Thank you for giving me the honor of serving as your representative in the democratic process.