BISBEE WIRE #91/house sold near you/bisbee ok?/around town/county follies/one liners
- fred
- Mar 29
- 20 min read
And you might have seen his brightly colored signs saying “ART” with an arrow around the traffic circle. Follow the arrow, turn onto to Hwy 8o E. and a left at Lone st. to the end (actual address is 36 hwy 80.
Ober is an energetic and interesting fellow. He has two small galleries, one with his art including a black and white series of stairs around town, and the second of model airplanes. The airplanes he stumbled on when someone asked him to clear them out of house. He has added to the collection and now has about 20 or so models. As well there are a couple greenhouses in addition to sculptures such as a 16’ tall Saguaro. He also plans on having plants for sale in April. Check him out here.
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RED FLAG IF YOU USED 23andME
The company has filed for bankruptcy and there is a possibility that the company may be sell data as a part of the filing. If you used the services in the past, it would be prudent to delete your account. The state AG is recommending that you do so. Go here for how to delete your info.
..............BISBEE ECONOMY.............
FOOD TAX BILL AMENDED
A bill that would have abolished the tax on food for 70 municipalities in Arizona, including Bisbee, was amended after vociferous opposition from the affected cities. Bisbee would have an estimated $650,000 loss of tax revenue if the bill would have passed. Many cities use the food tax to help provide services to residents. Mayor Ken Budge now supports the amended version of the bill which allows cities to keep the current tax, but not increase it. The proposed legislation has yet to pass into law.
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HIGH DESERT MARKET
Businesses come and go in Bisbee, but some that persevere and thrive provide the backbone of the OB economy. For 25 years High Desert Market has been a fixture on Tombstone across from the court house. Operated by Peyton, aided by Frank and a stellar staff, they have been a source for interesting shelf foods, solid eat-there prepared foods with a large selection of pastries, pies, and cakes. An adjacent room holds a variety of brightly colored pots, kitchenware. aprons, napkins, and other goods to brighten homes. We discovered some wonderful reusable Swedish dishcloths a few years ago that have become a staple in our house. If you haven't been for awhile, check em out.
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HOUSING
The Bisbee City Council passed an ordinance expanding zoning laws by creating a zoning overlay that could increase housing density by allowing for various kinds of houses to be built on underutilized or vacant lots in certain areas in Bisbee or on existing lots with serviced utilities. The most significant change was decreasing minimum lot sizes, to 2,500 square feet from 6,000 square feet.
The flexible zoning code hopefully would also attract housing developers for infill development. For instance the City will be soliciting bids for a 16 acre property called Sierra Cobre near the County complex that has the potential of 25 new structures.
This is the latest move as the City tries to address the issue of affordable housing. As part of the Bisbee Workforce Housing Initiative, in 2021 the city partnered with Step Up Bisbee/Naco to rehabilitate dilapidated houses and sell them below market value to essential workers. To date ten houses have been completed by Step Up with more being worked on.
As many cities have found out, as housing costs increase, the existing public and private workforce is priced out of the market. That results in problems keeping workers in both the city and private sectors. Although the council passed an ordinance in 2022 allowing accessory dwelling units, they failed to include a lot size reduction.
The city foreclosed on the Hillcrest the historic former hospital in Warren and recently an asbestos removal project, funded through a grant, was completed so it will soon be on the market.
City officials also blame the large number of vacation rentals for the lack of affordable housing options. (Other causes not mentioned are high interest rates, older homes needing more repair, a relatively static population skewing older, a plethora of second homes.) Recent data shows that out of 2,600 occupied housing units about 9% of Bisbee’s housing stock is short-term rentals, Mayor Budge said.
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HOUSES SOLD
It is not always people from other places buying houses in
Bisbee. For instance in the week of January 13-17, out of four houses sold, three were bought by people from Bisbee: 815 Tombstone ($152k), 125B Clawson ($245k), 442 Cochise Lane ($145k). The fourth house was 501 A Mayor ($345k) was sold to a buyer from St. David.
In February there were 13 houses sold for $2,605,521 continuing a run of double digit sales for the past several months.
210 C St. 92k/92k/$94,500
3990 S.Elzie Dn Vw 150k.150k/$115,000
48 Lowell Ave 1 49k/149k/$135,000
19 Lowell Ave 190k/180k/$173,000
401 Camobell 165k/165k/$171,021
20 Yuma Trail 179k/179k/$175,000
537 Santa Cruz 310k/$179,000
523 Ruppe 260k/230k/$190,000
51 Pinal Dr. 249k/249k/$239,000
208 Hazzard 234k/248,,900/$240,000
103 Dorothy St. 275k/275k?$245,000
118 Douglas St. 275k/255k/$250,000
421 Black Knob $400,000
BUILDING PERMITS
Residential permits totaled $683,106 in February about on par with the last several months excluding January.
Of note for commercial permits , which totaled, $ 232,288, was remodeling going on at the Old High School. Hopefully that activity will mean some retail action soon. And there was more spending on finishing the Burger King which now seems close to opening. The Letson Loft put the final touches on the hotel with a fire alarm system. They are now open adding eight rooms to the lodging mix.
SALES TAXES (for spending two months prior, in December)
Bisbee has never been a shopping destination for the holiday season. The sales taxes bear that out again this year. Retail sales taxes were at the lowest level in 15 months at $105,530. Given the quality of what is offered, it is somewhat puzzling but quite possibly is the result of gift giving mores during this season changing over the years to become more routinized rather than something special.
The 5% bed tax continues the last four months of over $20k, indicating a strong lodging market.
Restaurant Bar sales dropped about $10k from the previous month but about the same as the past years for December.
Food for home consumption was about on par for past years.
..............COCHISE COUNTY................
SUPES ON RECORD FOR CURTAILING EARLY VOTING
All three supervisors voted to adopt Resolution 25-02 which supports the legislature's desire to shorten the time period to turn in early (mail) ballots from Election Day to the Friday before. I am told that HCR2013 is currently the most likely vehicle to put it on the ballot. Those opposed to this change include the Secretary of State, the AZ Counties Association, Common Cause, National Organization for Women and many others.
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As I was saying before we were interrupted…
….the jail district follies continue.
Without recapitulating the jail district/new jail saga, let’s just say Haysus! It seems never ending. To bring you up to date…An out of county judge was appointed to deal with the single issue remaining; Were 10,000 inactive voters disenfranchised-denied the right to vote in a mail in election-because they were not sent ballots. That has not yet been decided. It has import for voting elsewhere in the state. (for a complete explanation read this by Jen Fifield)
However…
….the current supes want this all to go away and to that end they hired an attorney! (As Mike Thornton the host of KBRP Friday morning magazine, has said, the full employment for attorneys act paid by taxpayers. The supes proposed and voted on a settlement (apparently okayed by the challengers): Stop collecting the half cent sales tax, give the election challengers $130k, set a new election in November.
Sounded like a solution. Even though the challenger attorney said he has worked 1000 hours @$300 p/hour (the full employment for attorneys act again) on the case and that is a tad more than $130k. Sheesh! (And there is no bill yet by the lawyer representing the supes Tim LaSota. It would be interesting to see just how much dough it has cost taxpayers for outside attorneys that supervisors, past and current, have hired.)
BBBBuuuuuutttttttt then…
….some problems emerged. The supes made two errors. One in putting the wrong case number when they voted on a settlement (It is unclear who made this error, the high priced attorney?), and the second error was in the public agenda put out for the Friday meeting that used the same wrong case number (agendas have to accurately reflect what the supervisors are going to talk about.) This negated the meeting and the vote and the settlement. A fine kettle of fish you might think if you are thinking at this point.
Also during the past week…
....Sec of State Adrian Fontes, through the AG’s office, jumped in and said he wanted to intervene in this discussion cause he want to insure that just because challengers and defendants agree on a handshake deal does not mean the election is void. No fockin way! The legal issues have to be dealt with.
And then…
…Tuesday the new judge announced that he wanted to rule on whether SoS Fontes could intervene, but set no date to hear the arguments.
And so it stood until…
…Thursday when the supes once again voted to accept an agreement with most of what had been in the now voided meeting at which they had previously voted to accept. Got it?
and so...
...all parties are waited for the words 'Here come da judge' with a ruling on Fontes intervention. If approved one of the issue he will bring up is whether the supes even have the authority of stop the taking of a tax. And possibly whether an agreement between the parties could negate the results of an election. ensuring that the the full employment for attorneys act paid by taxpayers will extend.
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THE FULL EMPLOYMENT FOR ATTORNEYS PAID BY TAXPAYERS CONTINUED
Mick Rushing, another in the ever increasing stable of outside attorneys assisting the board of supes, briefed two supes in a non-public session about the Arizona Counties Insurance Pool failing to provide for attorneys charged with felonies after the 2022 election. Although the two supes did not ask the insurance pool to be covered. (the third supe, Crosby, had a conflict of interest and did not participate. He is due to go on trial soon for two felonies.) They also wanted Rushing to look at whether the former county attorney, Brian McIntyre, was negligent during the same period of turmoil. And that seems like retribution because McIntyre consistently told the two supes that what they wanted to do was illegal but the supes continued breaking the law.
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PRELIM REPORT ON A NEW JAIL
The Chinn planning group gave an 34 page interim report that was chock full of stats and diagrams. The six! sites for consideration were outlined, the implications of having the jail/courts/probation in or around the same location was discussed, the current census vs past census, the difference between several county law enforcement entities for the jail population, past and current arrests by city and county, and more.
Siting of the future jail site has many factors according to the briefing,"The evaluation topics address the status or availability of utilities, any topographic difficulty such as flood plain, the impact of purchasing land or using county-owned property, what existing buildings or facilities are at the site, the jail’s proximity to the public being served, work force staffing availability, access for roads and emergency services, and proximity to the county’s courts."
Jail siting will be contentious. During the campaign for the mail-in election for a jail district/new jail, Sheriff Dannels repeatedly said that Bisbee would be the site. But this report shows six sites for consideration. The report said about 40 acres of land would be necessary if a court building was build near a new jail. Like it or not, a jail is an economic benefit for a city so the City of Bisbee and OB businesses stand to lose a great deal if the jail & courts were moved out of our city.
A formal draft of the report will be issued in late April or May.
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CANNABIS IN BOWIE?
Green Reason LLC asked for a special use permit for 4.5 acres for a retail marijuana operation. I mean 4.5 acres? retail? They be smokin what they tokin.
........ TRUSK + MUMP + POOTIN..........
TARIFFS? YOU BETCHA.
LOAN DEFAULTS UP? YOU BETCHA.
CREDIT CARD DEBT UP? YOU BETCHA
THE ECONOMIC GENIUS OF THE TRUMPIE ADMIN
Tariffs are taxes. When assessed on products or industries, those costs are either passed onto the consumer most often, or the corporate bottom line takes a hit. And we both know that the bottom line is the sacred.
Sooooo….that means declining consumer consumption. Couple that with personal credit card debt soaring, auto loans defaulting at the highest rate in the last 20 years, as well as severe cuts to government infrastructure that provides data and support for private producers. Ya got trusk and mump stepping in deep doodoo.
It is clear to any economist putting the numbers together, that we will have rapid inflation combined with slower growth; Dreaded stagflation.
For instance...Car owners are missing their monthly payments at the highest rate in more than 30 years. In January, the share of subprime auto borrowers at least 60 days past due on their loans rose to 6.56%, the most since the data collection began in 1994, according to Fitch Ratings. Auto loans have been a particular pain point, with higher car prices and elevated borrowing costs driving a surge in repossessions.The average loan rate for a new car is about 9.6%, according to Cox, up from 5.5% in late 2019. The rate for a used vehicle is 14.3%, compared with 8.2% in late 2019. And that has led to a spike auto repossessions.
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REALLY?
According to the NYT and WaPo, internal docs at the aptly named White House show plans to severly cut all government agencies workforce . "Trump officials are looking for cuts of between 8% and 50% of the employees in federal agencies. They obtained an internal White House document that calls for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to be cut in half, the Interior Department to lose nearly 25% of its workforce, and the Internal Revenue Service to lose about one third of its people. The Justice Department is set to lose 8% of its workforce, the National Science Foundation 28%, the Commerce Department 30%, and the Small Business Administration 43%." Social Security offices are being closed and 7000 people fired while instituting a new requirement for in-person visits only, not online, to offices that may be closed or miles away from rural residents, just to change any banking info, or submitting applications.
Among other things look forward to standing in long long long lines....
In just the past couple of weeks in Arizona alone, there have been park service layoffs, forest service layoffs. plans for the military to occupy a strip along the border with an Arizona focus on Fort Huachuca, and huge cuts to Veterans services at the VA nationally (76,000 workers to be laid off),the Phoenix VA library is now closed, and in as part of a larger effort of white-washing, all tribal flags were removed from the Phoenix vets center. At the national level, references to black, latino, and native veterans are being removed from websites. (It's called white nationalism for a reason.)
THESE 17 ARIZONA OFFICES ARE LISTED TO BE CLOSED AND LEASES TERMINATED
This information is from the DOGEY website
PHOENIX…PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE
PHOENIX…GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
PHOENIX…INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE OFFI CE
PHOENIX…EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPOR. COMMISION
PHOENIX…FOREST SERVICE…
PHOENIX…BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
PHOENIX…BUREAU OF INDUSTRY/SECURITY
SHOW LOW…SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
MESA…RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD
MESA..MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMIN
CAMP VERDE…NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
TUCSON….US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
TUCSON…BUREAU OF CENSUS
NOGALES…FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER ADMIN
YUMA…NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE
FLAGSTAFF…NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
TEMPE…FOOD AND DRUG ADMIN
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IS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THE NEXT MUSK BUSINESS?
Wired mag has an interesting article on the many interrelationship;s of musk companies and the federal gov. Go here for a vid. To here for the extensive article.
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