The transparency of our local government helps create accountability and an informed community.
On a weekly or monthly basis, elected officials meet throughout the Tucson area to discuss and take action on public policy and spending.
Arizona’s open meeting law states that “It is public policy of this state that meetings of public bodies be conducted openly and that notices and agendas be provided for such meetings which contain such information as is reasonably necessary to inform the public of the matters to be discussed or decided.”
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to such meetings evolved to a level not seen before, with meetings being live-streamed, allowing community members to get involved without having to leave the comforts of home.
In the years that have followed, local government entities have continued such practices in some form.
Posting agendas and minutes, user accessibility, and notices for future meetings are public policy of this state. Here’s how Tucson-area governments are faring in adhering to the law.
City of Tucson
The Tucson Mayor and Council meet at 5:30 p.m. on each of the first four Tuesdays of every month, except for July and August, when there is only a meeting on the first Tuesday, the website says. Meetings are held at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda.
A meeting schedule for the year is posted online at tucsonaz.gov, where minutes and agendas can be found, as well as a link to live stream meetings through YouTube, youtube.com/@cityoftucson/live.
The meetings, which can also be viewed after the fact, range from garnering several hundred views to over a thousand. Agendas posted ahead of the meetings share the link to the YouTube channel and instructions on how to speak during a call to the audience in both English and Spanish. Meeting summaries with council action can be found on the same site as the agendas at tucne.ws/1nzx.
Public records can be requested through a form at tucne.ws/1nzz, by letter, email, or phone. Photocopies are 25 cents per copy, though electronic copies already in electronic form are free. They can also be reviewed free of charge in the city clerk’s office.
Pima County
The Pima County Board of Supervisors meets twice monthly, with regular sessions starting at 9 a.m. at the Pima County Administration Building, 130 W. Congress.
The meeting schedule for the year is posted at pima.gov. Meetings are live-streamed and available for later viewing at youtube.com/@PimaCountyArizona/streams. They can also be viewed on cable TV: Comcast 96 and Cox 96.
Meeting agendas and minutes are centralized at tucne.ws/1o01. The instructions for public participation are available only in English.
Certified copies of documents can be purchased through the Pima County Recorder’s office. Paper copies are 25 cents per copy, and digital copies are 25 cents per document. Most of the time documents are sent through PDF, which is free.
Marana
The Marana Town Council’s regular meetings are usually held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6 p.m. at the Marana Municipal Complex, 11555 W. Civic Center Drive.
Live meetings can be watched on the same site where the meeting video is archived, at tucne.ws/1o02.
Meeting agendas and minutes are available on a separate page on the town’s website, maranaaz.gov/agendas-and-minutes. A live stream link is also shared there. All communication, including how to participate in call to the audience, is in English.
Public records can be requested through maranaaz.gov/public-records-request, email, phone, or mail. Black and white copies are 50 cents per sheet. Color copies are $1 per sheet.
Oro Valley
The Oro Valley Town Council meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the town hall, 11000 N. La Cañada Drive.
A list of upcoming meetings and agendas, with links to view them through the town’s website can be found on the same page where information, including minutes and video, for archived meetings is posted. At the same page, tucne.ws/1o03, it’s prominently posted on how community members can take part in a call to the audience virtually.
Like nearly all of the other local governments identified thus far, instructions are posted only in English.
Public records can be requested online at tucne.ws/1o04 and inspected free of charge. However, the cost for copies varies, ranging from 25 cents to $1.
Sahuarita
The Sahuarita Town Council holds its regularly scheduled meetings on select Mondays at 6 p.m. at the town hall, 375 W. Sahuarita Center Way. A full schedule for the year is posted at tucne.ws/1o05.
Agendas, minutes and video of past meetings are available at the same site. Meetings are streamed live via YouTube at youtube.com/user/TownofSahuarita/live.
Instructions for public participation are posted only in English.
As far as public records are concerned, an account is required on a “Public Records Request Portal.” Fees for record retrieval are available in the portal, tucne.ws/1o06.
