Filling in all those bubbles

Don't forget these ones on your ballot ... Schools and towns are asking the public for a hand ... Judges get harder look this year.

Voters across Arizona are going to decide on some weighty topics in November, like abortion rights and whether local police can act as immigration enforcement.

But those aren’t all the issues Pima County voters will have to consider when they get their ballots. Not by a long shot.

Residents of Sahuarita, South Tucson and three school districts in Pima County will decide on 11 ballot measures that could bring in millions of dollars for parks and schools, solidify long-term arrangements with utilities, and take a step toward resolving one of the stickiest inter-governmental issues in the county.

Sahuarita

In Sahuarita, voters will decide whether to allow officials to issue $66 million in bonds under Prop 403 to pay for a massive recreation center with an aquatics center, along with adding artificial turf to a sports complex and expanding the police department building, among other purposes.

Sahuarita voters also will decide whether to approve 25-year franchise agreements that allow utility companies to use public rights-of-way, like streets, alleys, and bridges, in exchange for a share of the revenue.

Unlike Tucson, which uses a city-owned water system, Sahuarita makes arrangements with businesses that provide water.

Phoenix-based Global Water has acquired Sahuarita-area water systems for the past few years. Voters will consider Prop 406, a franchise agreement with Global Water-Farmers Water Company, and Prop 407, a franchise agreement with Global Water-Las Quintas Serenas Water Company.

Prop 405 is an agreement with Community Water Company of Green Valley, a nonprofit that’s been supplying water since 1977.

Beyond water utilities, Prop 404 would renew the franchise agreement with Southwest Gas, as voters did in 2000.

South Tucson

In South Tucson, voters will decide whether to ditch the state-imposed expenditure limitation and come up with their own for the next four years. If voters approve Prop 408, the city council will decide each year what the limitation should be, after at least one public hearing.

With Prop 409, South Tucson voters will decide whether the city can issue $6.1 million in bonds to pay for fire protection and emergency medical services, along with paying off a 2019 financing deal.

Observers of local politics might prick up their ears when they hear about South Tucson fire services. This has been a budgetary quagmire for a long time and it’s not uncommon to see the issue come up on meeting agendas for Tucson and Pima County officials. Taxpayers in Tucson have covered some of South Tucson’s costs for years and South Tucson officials tried to get help from Pima County earlier this year.

School districts

Local school districts also are trying to find ways to get more funds, or be allowed to spend more.

The biggest ask among local districts comes from Amphitheater Unified School District, where officials want voters to approve $84 million worth of bonds through Prop 412.

That money would go toward improving elementary school playgrounds, renovating the school bus facility, and installing security equipment, among other improvements.

Prop 413 is a budget override that would allow the district to spend $4.1 million to hire more teachers, expand the arts and physical education programs, and help struggling students.

Officials at Marana Unified School District also want a budget override, Prop 411, so they can spend $5.1 million to increase salaries for teachers and reduce class sizes.

The Continental Elementary School District, which serves about 200 families in Green Valley, wants voters to approve Prop 410, a 15% budget override that would allow officials to spend more on maintenance and operations.

Taking a closer look: This year’s judicial elections are getting more scrutiny than they have in the past, with voter guides and political action committees coming out on both sides of the political aisle, Arizona Capitol Times’ Kiera Riley reports. One judge who’s under the microscope more than most is Pima County Superior Court Judge Kellie Johnson, who lifted an injunction on Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban after Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago.

Bright futures: Sunnyside High School set a record for students accepted to the University of Arizona, KVOA's Conor McGill reports. The 200 students headed to the UA were greeted with a roaring crowd at a celebration rally this week. School officials say 90% of them are first-generation college students.

Embezzlement fallout: The alleged embezzlement scheme in Santa Cruz County is upending election season for the longtime county supervisors, Arizona Daily Star columnist Tim Steller writes. After voters heard former Treasurer Liz Gutfahr was accused of taking $39 million in county funds, they ousted two county supervisors in the primary and the third supervisor barely won.

Border trip: Vice President Kamala Harris is going to visit the Arizona-Mexico border on Friday, the New York Times reports. It will be her first trip to the border as a presidential candidate and comes as polls show more voters think former President Donald Trump would do a better job with immigration than Harris. The details about where on the border Harris would visit weren’t released.

Trying something new: Tucson's oldest neighborhood is turning into a pedestrian paradise, the Star’s Gabriela Rico reports. Volunteers and local businesses pushed for sidewalk dining in El Presidio Historic District, along with new murals and playgrounds for kids and adults.

Not enough cooks in the kitchen: A Tucson group is teaching kids how to cook as a way to fight food insecurity, the Tucson Sentinel's Natalie Robbins reports. The Tucson Family Food Project's Steven Cota-Robles shows kids how to prepare meals in YouTube videos and then the students can pick up meal kits at school and prepare the food themselves at home.

2.5 million: Vehicles that crossed from Mexico to Arizona in the second quarter of 2024. It’s a slight uptick from the same time last year, and a giant leap since the pandemic slowdown in 2020.