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Budget, town park in the works for town of Tusayan
Town council meetings move forward with planning efforts

Patrick Whitehurst/WGCN<br>
Members of the Tusayan Town Council have discussed lights in Tusayan, a school park and more in recent weeks as they head for a July 1 county to city transition.

Patrick Whitehurst/WGCN<br> Members of the Tusayan Town Council have discussed lights in Tusayan, a school park and more in recent weeks as they head for a July 1 county to city transition.

TUSAYAN, Ariz. - Council members with the town of Tusayan continue to move forward with their efforts on a number of developments for the newly incorporated community. According to Tusayan Mayor Pete Shearer, work is continuing on the town's budget, both for this year and the next fiscal year. A budget meeting was held May 18, in which the council also discussed adoption of a model tax code.

"We have adopted the proposed interim budget for publication," Shearer said. "This is the town budget for April 6 through June 30. It will be posted for two weeks in the paper and then we will have a public hearing at 10 a.m. on May 26, which will give the public a chance to voice their concerns or approval."

The public meeting will be held at the Grand Canyon Best Western Squire Inn in the Zuni room, located on the second floor.

"I would like to thank each of the council members for all their dedication to the community and for the many hours each of them are contributing to creating a brighter future for Tusayan," Shearer said.

Council members also discussed an intergovernmental agreement with Grand Canyon School in recent weeks. The IGA would pave the way for a town park and other recreational facilities on the proposed Tusayan school site in the area. A Coconino County pre-application meeting on the rezoning of the property is scheduled to be held today in Flagstaff, Shearer said.

"We have also met with APS to discuss installation of solar voltaic panels on the roofs of the proposed Ramada and the shower/maintenance/concessions building. This is an exciting prospect and could lead to a great environmental education partnership between the school and APS," Shearer said.

Council members also met recently with Arizona Public Service (APS) officials to discuss Highway 64 street lighting options in the area.

"We may have all new LED lights and poles by the end of summer and we will continue to work with APS to improve the safety and to reduce the environmental impacts to our dark skies of northern Arizona. APS has some pretty amazing concepts and they are going the extra distance to help us to improve the community. Many thanks from the Tusayan Town Council to Don, Kevin, and all on the APS team," Shearer said.

Housing in the Tusayan area has also been discussed during recent TTC meeting, he added. Council members have begun to investigate a housing needs assessment study, which Shearer said is required by the Tusayan Area Plan.

"It is long overdue and will pave the way for the council to move forward as quickly as possible towards creating a desired housing plan," Shearer said. "We are formulating the outline for the study and have received sample studies from Bill Towler and his contacts. We envision having several public meetings as part of this process and to meet with residents and to listen to their concerns and visions. The first will be a town-hall type meeting - open to all residents and members of the business community."

Though the project will have to go out to bid, a process that Shearer said could take some time, he said the initiative is very important to the future of Tusayan.

Council member Ann Wren, Shearer said, has been working on the development of an IGA with the Coconino County Sheriff's Office to provide police protection in the area following the July 1 hand-off date - when many of the current services in the area will go from county to town control.

"Ann Wren continues to work with Bill Pribble of the sheriff's department in creating an agreement for continued police protection after the July 1st date, after which time the town is responsible for these services," Shearer said. "The Tusayan/Coconino County partnership will enable both to enjoy better protection and to more efficiently utilize \ existing personnel."


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