Advanced SearchPublic Works Director Scott Altherr used a two-year-old memo from the county attorney’s office “out of context” to justify turning off 879 streetlights.
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Leslie Spira, senior deputy county attorney, said, “I think he (Altherr) used my (2007) memo out of context. I was not addressing the legal question of do we need to shut down the lights.”
Altherr cited a 2005 opinion from Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard and the memo from Spira to support his proposal, which would save the county an estimated $100,000.
His plan did not come to the public’s attention until Supervisor John Maynard placed the item on the board’s Sept. 16 meeting. Maynard then asked to move the agenda item to the meeting scheduled tomorrow at 9:30 a.m.
In 2007, after she studied other legal opinions, Spira wrote: “Money for streetlights can fall under the uses of HURF funds by virtue of the Attorney General opinions. If the lights are part of a safety program, a safety study should be conducted by the county to establish the need for the lights.”
Early this year, Altherr ordered an inventory and analysis of all county streetlights to determine which ones were eligible for HURF dollars, he said. But Spira said on Friday, “The inventory is not a safety study.
“When staff identifies an area that needs to be brought into compliance, we are charged with doing that immediately by taking corrective action,” Altherr wrote in an e-mail to the Nogales International on Sept. 15. “Compliance with state statutes does not require a public hearing or board action.”
In a telephone interview on Monday, Silva disagreed. Shutting off the lights is “a policy decision to be made by the board of supervisors and the county manager,” he said. “Common sense says you would reach out to the supervisors before you take such a drastic action.”
People are pointing fingers and “they’re trying to say I’m telling the county and board of supervisors to turn off the lights,” Silva said. “That has nothing to do with the opinion we gave (in 2007).”
Now the public is upset and “it’s a huge issue,” Silva said. He anticipated a large turnout at tomorrow’s meeting.
Silva agreed with Altherr the county had to make sure the lights served a safety purpose. He urged the county to go ahead with a safety study.
Also interviewed on Monday, Lucero said, “We haven’t turned off any lights.” The county will conduct the safety study first, he said.
Lucero found out about the lights issue last summer during the budget process. Altherr met with each supervisor regarding the streetlights, “so it’s not like it was in the dark,” Lucero said.
Maynard asked if the county could use other funds for the lights, but this happened after the county had adopted the budget, Lucero said. “That requires board action, so we put it on the agenda.”
On Wednesday, the supervisors will also consider whether to “abandon” about 26 miles of back roads in Rio Rico the county no longer maintains.
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o R Garcia wrote on Oct 10, 2009 10:17 AM:
R. Garcia wrote on Oct 1, 2009 4:22 PM:
The article stated; "Leslie Spira, senior deputy county attorney, said, “I think he (Altherr) used my (2007) memo out of context."
I thought Leslie was a woman.... "
RIO RIRO wrote on Sep 30, 2009 9:23 PM:
R. Garcia wrote on Sep 30, 2009 8:15 PM:
Alot of fuss over nothing it seems.... "
TO R. Garcia wrote on Sep 30, 2009 8:09 PM:
CAN YOU READ
the county attorney was never asked their opinion. "
George Wilgers wrote on Sep 30, 2009 6:47 PM:
Perhaps you are new to the area. The County has not issued a pay raise in two years now, except what the State of Arizona gave to the Elected officials (13%).
As for the light issue, being something of an amature astronomer, I welcome all the excess light being turned off.
However, I agree a good audit could be useful. They should have one every few years. "
A County Employee wrote on Sep 30, 2009 6:43 PM:
NO the reason we fought to stay out of the Union is that a Union is not needed. My sister is a shop steward, and I am personally discusted with the dirty tactics she has taken part in to try to force other businesses to unionize, such as buying baby formula at a store, waiting for it to expire, then sneak it back into the store and then make a big fuss about them "stocking out of date formula". No, most Unions have outlived there true usefulness and are now mostly a form of legalized organize crime. "
George Wilgers wrote on Sep 30, 2009 6:40 PM:
Tax revenues are down because the County, for reasons I cannot really understand though I have tried to seek understanding from the County Finance Department, CUT their tax rate AGAIN. I think in the ten years I have lived here the tax rate has been cut every single year. "
concerned wrote on Sep 30, 2009 2:13 PM:
County Citizen wrote on Sep 30, 2009 10:45 AM:
Tom wrote on Sep 30, 2009 8:17 AM:
Is there any adult supervision at the county? "
R. Garcia wrote on Sep 29, 2009 10:53 PM:
This is such a simple topic: Tax revenues are down, the county MUST cut spending somewhere. But as usual the local SCC whinners are out in force with the "not in my neighborhood" mentality. "
david wrote on Sep 29, 2009 7:47 PM:
Ana Maria Woofolk wrote on Sep 29, 2009 6:25 PM:
Carlos wrote on Sep 29, 2009 6:15 PM:
NE Resident wrote on Sep 29, 2009 3:35 PM:
Chuck Carlson wrote on Sep 29, 2009 3:14 PM:
We live in tough times economically, and saving money is critical. In addition, we live in litigious times, and the county has to respect the aspect of safety and coverage. "
George Wilgers wrote on Sep 29, 2009 10:16 AM: