The Latest Developments In Pima County's Visionquest For Better Government. By Dave Devine OVER THE LAST few months, the Pima County Charter Committee has been working to combine many diverse ingredients into a recipe for home rule which the voters will accept. Kind of like preparing political meatloaf for the masses. The result so far is a mixture of anti-tax and good-government philosophies still simmering while the Committee continues its debates. However, the document's first draft will be publicly presented next week, and the final language must be written by early May. Undoubtedly the proposed charter will be a basic document. Committee member John Kromko said there is a tendency among the public against anything newer or bigger in county government, a sentiment the Committee has tried to reflect. Under the present draft, the number of county supervisors will remain at five, and term limits will not be included. Charter Committee Chair Paul Lindsey said the majority of the group think Pima County voters have shown at the polls that term limits aren't needed to get rid of incumbents here. Also untouched will be other currently elected county offices. However, the job of running elections will be taken away from the County Administrator and County Recorder and put under the permanent control of an Elections Division in the office of the County Clerk. According to Charter Committee members, this is being proposed to reduce the number of election snafus which have plagued Pima County recently. And major change is proposed for the way the supervisors' districts are determined. Instead of having the politicians decide them, a randomly selected 11-member citizens' panel will draw the boundaries. This group won't even be told where incumbents live or what past partisan voting patterns have been. The goal of this proposal is to eliminate the gerrymandering and incumbent protection schemes that have often plagued redistricting. To tie the supervisors' hands financially, the Charter Committee has tentatively approved two spicy sections: The first prohibits the establishment of any new taxing authorities or the levying of new taxes without prior voter approval. That should prevent the adoption of a county sales tax or special assessments like the recently imposed recreational vehicle tax. The second financial restraint requires that bond funds, and the interest earned from them, be spent only on the projects for which they were approved. Bond language will also have to be specific and clear enough that a reasonable person can understand it. Another tantalizing section of the draft charter is a requirement that the financial impact on public funds of all rezonings and zoning code variances be analyzed prior to approval. If that section remains, it could help reveal just how much sprawl development is really costing us. The Committee is also recommending campaign finance provisions similar to those now in place in the City of Tucson. That program sets limits on campaign expenditures while supplying taxpayer money as matching funds to candidates. In addition, the Committee has discussed placing limitations on donations to independent campaigns. Those efforts, like the pro-development committees that supported the unsuccessful campaign of real estate broker Vicki Cox-Golder, present real problems in trying to control election spending and influence peddling. To improve the way the county does business, two new ingredients to the government mix are being suggested. The first is a performance evaluator who would critique the cost and effectiveness of county departments and programs. The second is a panel which would write a new Code of Ethics for the county and then investigate possible violations. Alleged infractions would be referred to the County Attorney for prosecution. The Committee has been split on several possible charter provisions. It defeated an attempt to include a statement that "No business or person can be given special tax treatment" by the county government. It also refused to limit the use of county vehicles for personal use in the charter. So the proposed document looks like it will be a general recipe for county government, with a few specific pinches to add some flavor. Chairman Lindsey believes many people may be surprised at how limited a document the draft charter actually is. The Committee is in the process of finalizing its first draft. It will be publicly presented at a Town Hall meeting sponsored by the Tucson Citizen at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, at the Doubletree Hotel, 445 S. Alvernon Way. But the Committee will continue to make revisions after that. One unknown factor which could affect the Committee's future votes is the role of state Senator Victor Soltero. He was elected to the 15-member group, but has missed the last six meetings. If he's present in the future, his could be a swing vote on several key provisions. Soltero did not return The Weekly's calls asking whether he'll be attending those meetings. Before its work is concluded, the Committee will probably do a poll to determine the public's acceptance of the draft charter. Then the document will be baked in the summer heat for a couple of months until the voters decide its fate in late July or early August. Will voters approve a charter form of government for Pima County? Citing the failure of most charters nationwide, Kromko believes more dramatic issues, like tougher campaign finance reform provisions, might be needed to improve its chances. But those won't be offered in this initial document. Instead, Pima County voters will be offered something bland.

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