Oro Valley town manager recommends budget for upcoming fiscal year

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Oro Valley’s town manager recently announced a recommended budget of $156.4 million for the upcoming 2024-2025 fiscal year, marking an increase from 2023.

While the town has outlined some of its main priorities in the new budget, where do residents hope to see some of the money focused on?

While this upcoming year's overall budget is expected to increase, the recommended general fund will be $53.1 million, a 4.1 percent decrease from 2023.

Some residents like Gary Stingl say they want the town to be more strategic with its spending.

"The town council has to stop and take a look at how are we spending our money," he said. "And how much have we spent and what are we going to spend it on in the future and how is it going to benefit the residents of Oro Valley."

Others like Phyllis Geres hope to see parts of the budget allocated for improvements to the town’s road system while long-time resident Shari Shereda says she hopes they continue to enhance parks and recreation in the area.

"[On] Naranja [drive] and there’s several other ones along these different streets where there’s no lights but it’s just a crosswalk," said Geres.

"Naranja Park just got some pickleball courts. I haven't seen them yet but it would be great if we had some more of those," Shari Shereda said. "Because it's super popular here."

One resident applauded the overall work by local leaders but said he would like to see at least some of the budget go towards marketing Oro Valley as a place where others may look to potentially call home.

"There’s some people on the council that I think are a little too pro-developer but at the same time we have to grow and I understand that," said Gregg James "But to me, it’s getting our own name out there, our own brand out there."

The proposed budget is subject to review and potential revisions before final approval, with community input likely to shape the town's spending priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.