Mayor outlines $66 million bond measure and town priorities at Sahuarita 30th anniversary luncheon

Mayor Tom Murphy used the Town of Sahuarita's 30th anniversary luncheon to review recent municipal achievements and to urge support for Proposition 403, a November 2024 general obligation bond that would authorize up to $66 million for parks, public safety and town facilities.

Murphy, speaking in his eighth year as mayor, framed the bond as a way to "start to build projects now" to avoid higher future construction costs. "If approved by voters, Proposition 403 will authorize the Town of Sahuarita to issue up to $66 million in bonds," he said, adding that the town has set aside an additional $10 million for the proposed projects.

Why it matters: The bond package is the town's first G.O. bond and, if approved, would be repaid through secondary property taxes over 25 years. Using the town's cited average assessed home value of roughly $232,000, Murphy estimated the cost for the average homeowner at about $17.12 per month.

What the bond would fund: Murphy listed seven project categories included in Prop 403. Key items are a new multigenerational recreation center with aquatics and fitness space; expanded trail connections for pedestrians and cyclists; upgrades to the animal park, including artificial turf and new concessions; a large sports-court complex for pickleball and other activities; expansion of the police building to add capacity and officers; a new centralized Public Works facility with climate-controlled maintenance spaces; and enhancements to town hall systems and HVAC to accommodate staff growth without building a new office.

Other highlights from the address: Murphy said the town "secured more than $7.72 million in grants" across departments this year, adopted a permanent flexible work schedule, added eight new positions across HR, finance, IT, public works, police, parks and law, and modernized residential zoning to allow more housing types. He also announced an intergovernmental agreement with the Santa Rita Fire District to outsource fire-inspection review and said upgrades to the Sahuarita Water Reclamation Facility would raise capacity from 1.5 million to 2.2 million gallons per day.

Local partnerships and land-use notes: Murphy said the town reached a development agreement with Vulcan Materials Company that he described as securing Vulcan's operations and land use and noted that Vulcan "waived the right to operate a hot mixed asphalt plant in perpetuity." He also thanked mining and development partners, named several homebuilders and cited private-sector tenants and manufacturing investments at the SAMTEC advanced manufacturing center.

Timing and next steps: Murphy urged residents to review the November ballot and vote on Proposition 403. He said the bond, if passed, would be issued and repaid through secondary property taxes over a 25-year term. Separately, he noted town council consideration this fall of bids to centralize residential solid waste services, with a possible spring 2025 transition if approved.

What the address did not resolve: Murphy provided detailed project lists and cost-sharing assumptions but did not present a final project-level budget breakdown or an exact timeline for each project beyond general timing for design and build phases. He also cited town population and business counts in his remarks; those figures (for example, a cited "over 38,000 residents and 622 local businesses") differ from other statements in the program that reference "over 30,000"—the transcript records both claims without reconciliation.

Bottom line: The mayor's speech coupled a celebratory 30-year history with a policy push: the administration is asking voters to approve a $66 million G.O. bond this November to pay for a range of recreation, public safety and infrastructure projects its leaders say are needed to manage growth and upgrade aging systems.