According to a presentation from the ad hoc Street Committee made to Town Council, we’ll soon have some idea of the severity and costs to repair our streets. This will not be a low number.

Are we ready to step up and do the right thing? Will the council authorize a bond election? Will the town’s residents vote “yes” to support the investment so desperately needed to fix our streets? What I am seeing on social media, and even from a past mayor, the complaints about potholes, street conditions and intersection improvements show we want action. Are the voters ready to make the right decision?

If you lived here back in 2018, you may recall town voters resoundingly defeated a property tax to fix streets. Since then, the Town has put nearly $15 million into our streets to repair them, and they still need much more work; it will take a lot more money – we can’t nickel and dime our way to a solution – because the streets are getting worse. I heard someone say our streets represent a $250 million asset. Takes real money to maintain that kind of investment. Remember, we did an $8 million bond just to fix Saguaro! That was eight years ago.

So, when you hear past mayors, councilpersons and others in our community complaining about the street conditions, I can only suppose they’ll be the first ones to step up to say “yes” to a bond issue for repairs. New councilpersons, ones who campaigned on “fix our streets,” and Councilperson Skillicorn, who wants a “streets first” agenda, are already on board, right? Oops, wait a minute. It was Councilperson Skillicorn who also said he wouldn’t vote for a street bond issue at a meeting. How’s that going to work?