Can we take Tucson's green talk seriously?
Walkup (R)TUCSON -- Mayor Bob Walkup has been called Mr. Greenjeans before, but now he says he wants Tucson to go green.
Walkup talks about a regional land use plan. Sounds good. Pima County has a good one, the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, but the city has opted to not join it, even though the Planning Commission, where I and others strive to serve the common good, recommended joining the plan to Mayor and Council in 2006.
Instead of joining the county's award-winning effort, the city is right now spending significant money to do its own weaker plan to facilitate doubling city population on to state lands on the south and east sides that were annexed to be within city limits. Not much green about that, except the money being spent by the city and to be made by developers.
Maybe part of the new green attitude will include finally listening to the experts on the Planning Commission and join the SDCP.
Hein
We'll see what the council and Mayor do today with water rates. City Manager Mike Hein is recommending an 8% rate hike plan that would still omit many important conservation and environmental projects agreed upon by a diverse committee of stakeholders.
People in Tucson and Pima County are smart, and they are not too excited to 'save' water just so politicians, bureaucrats and developers can blend it with bad CAP water and treated sewage and give it to the next million people they want to move in to metro-Tucson.
The council must ask the manager and Tucson Water: why is water quality going down while rates are going up?
It is also hard to take city calls for water conservation seriously when Tucson Water doesn't even have staff anymore to enforce extreme water waste.
Tucson Water must move away from the flawed urban sprawl-addicted funding model, and instead focus on providing the highest quality water at the lowest price to existing residents and businesses.
We can do better, but only if there is true leadership, not just talk.
I believe the Mayor and Council's heart is in the right place on this, and also that they must push the City Manager harder.
Comments
Riparian mitigation requirements as outlined are not being enforced. Just take a look around Pima County. Request a copy of mitigation plan for bladed Hernandez horse property or the Kitty Wayne property 9887 N. Camino de Oeste in NW Tucson. This is the true story of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.
These are two small examples brought to my attention.
1 for 1 mitigation is not enforced. Open space preserved in perpetuity not enforced. Non-native grasses, trees and plants allowed. Approved plant lists completely ignored.
Hernandez not even required to do riparian mitigation.
Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan doesn't exist without enforcement and it is NOT being enforced by Pima County.
It appears the riparian mitigation requirements developed by crafters of plan are unrealistic and in need of a major overhaul per the folks in charge of enforcement.
Therefore the City of Tucson would be wise to develop their own set of guidelines for conservation that are realistic and enforceable. It would be unfair to citizens of Tucson and a waste of time to adopt a meaningless plan such as the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.
I'm all for conservation but believe the city of Tucson should develop a plan that is smart and enforceable.