Monthly Archives: August 2016

EDITOR BOB VUKANOVICH, Comments

I am glad to see that the residents of district 2 and 4 have voted to get rid of their appointed council members.

How times have changed, because Councilwoman Rachel Villanueva was up for election this year, you allowed her 3 minutes to talk about an important issue to her constituents that was not on the agenda in a council meeting, did Mayor Sharon Wolcott lose control?

Why don’t we have all day bus service on Grand Ave?

The city of San Luis, AZ uses a Council-Manager form of government as we have, where the seven-member council appoints a city manager, city attorney, city engineer, city magistrate, chief of police and fire chief as per Arizona Statutes.

Honorable Jack Harper

My sincere gratitude in your prompt response to my question as to whether a city council can delegate its authority in the appointment of certain department heads in violation of our state statutes?

This question was directed to Mr. Bill Boyd, Legislative Research Analyst for the Committee on Government Arizona State Senate. Mr. Bill Boyd responded:

Hello Bob,

Our staff attorney who specializes in cities and counties has confirmed
that my original interpretation was correct and the appointments must be
made by the mayor and city council.

Since you live in Surprise you must be aware of the problems facing our great city. Where do concerned citizens go when the City of Surprise is not conforming to the Arizona Statutes or its Constitution? For example, it appears that the City is in violation of the statute that I referred to above. Unfortunately, the Attorney General seems to busy or just does not want to tackle the issues.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely, Bob Vukanovich

The above was in regards to placing the city attorney under the city manager.

Posted: Friday, April 22, 2016 3:30 pm
Richard Smith Surprise Today
As described in an article in the April 6 issue of Surprise Today, the vast majority of streetlights in Surprise are part of street light improvement districts.

During the April 5 City Council work session, former councilman and former longtime OTS resident Bob Vukanovich lambasted Surprise’s stewardship of the neighborhood. While he brought up other issues, the lights were at the top of the list.
“I’m not going to get into all the bad parts of the Original Town Site, but it’ll make your hair stand up. I was over there today and I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Vukanovich said during that meeting. “We had grant money for those street lights a long time ago and it’s still not finished. You turned the lights out on those people. We put new, beautiful lights over there. Somebody put resistors up there and now you need a flashlight. It looks terrible.”

Editor Bob Vukanovich’s COMMENTS

Council members are miles apart from one another in this election. Vote NO!! on the selling of Bonds.

Councilman Skip Hall say’s While serving on the City Council, my most significant accomplishment was my role in the financial turnaround of the city during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
It appears that the Council members have their own agenda’s.The Arizona
Legislatures attorneys say that the Statutory Authority given to the mayor and
council cannot be delegated by ordinance in a Common Council.
In Arizona you cannot over rule a state statute by an ordinance.

Bob Vukanovich to Sharon Wolcott

Council OKs infill incentives to support Original Townsite business expansion

Surprise, AZ (October 8, 2013) Under a special program to help promote business development in the city’s oldest neighborhoods, the Surprise City Council approved fee waivers Tuesday night that will reduce expansion costs for a long-established Surprise business in the Original Townsite.

The Original Townsite Incentive program was adopted by Council in 2006 to encourage revitalization in the city’s Original Townsite (OTS).

Through the program, the City will waive 100% of the design review, building permit and development fees for Native Sun Home Accents, a family-owned business that has been in operation with the City of Surprise since 1985, as the company prepares to expand into a larger facility within the OTS.

The proposed business location is generally located on the western corner of Grand Avenue and N. Sunny Lane, while Native Sun’s current location is 13071 W. Grand Avenue. Both locations are within the OTI infill district.

Council’s approval will reallocate $5,000 from Community and Economic Development contingency funds to cover the city payment of the design review and development impact fees.

For more information about the Original Townsite Incentive program contact Community and Economic Development at 623.222.3000.

Mayor Sharon Wolcott city of surprise

Posted: Monday, May 9, 2016 1:00 pm

Surprise no longer snaps passport photos Staff report Your West Valley

After issues with its camera, the city of Surprise no longer offers the option of taking passport photos at City Hall.

Instead, the city encourages those interested in getting a passport have their picture taken at one of the many nearby businesses that offer the service.

Business hours for passports will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays.

Applications will be accepted for first-time passport books and passport cards or for passport renewals that are not eligible for renewal by mail. This includes adult, adolescent and child passports.

For information, visit the Department of State website at travel.state.gov. The website has detailed guidelines, a fee chart, passport forms and other requirements to prepare for your passport submission.

To make an appointment or for questions, contact the City Clerk’s Office at 623-222-1200.