A communitywide shopping card and volunteer staffing are among the innovative new programs Oro Valley Mayor Satish Hiremath will announce in his state of the town address Thursday.
More than 400 business and community leaders plan to attend this event, which is being hosted by the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce.
Mayor Hiremath, who currently serves as chair of the Pima Association of Governments Regional Council, will describe the innovative approaches the Town of Oro Valley is taking to promote economic development and regional collaboration.
Hiremath will preview an upcoming regional business and banking forum, which will foster links between lending institutions and the small business community. He will also announce a new addition to the “shop local” program called Oro Valley Dollars.
Oro Valley Dollars is a debit card that will allow its holder to make purchases at participating Oro Valley merchants. It takes the older concept of a gift certificate one step further.
“In the 1.0 version, the old-school gift certificate, businesses would have to come to the town hall to redeem the value of the certificate. Oro Valley Dollars is the 2.0 version,” said Interim Town Manager Greg Caton. “It works like a debit card. It’s my understanding that we are the only municipality in the country offering this.”
This fall, the town also will roll out a new volunteer program, an offshoot of its successful program at the police department and library.
“The council was looking for ways to engage the community and tap into our residents’ areas of expertise,” said Caton.
Councilman Lou Waters will address the program in detail during a Council on Your Corner scheduled for Oct. 13 at 10 a.m. in the town’s Emergency Operations Center in the Oro Valley Marketplace.
The mayor also will discuss the annexation and potential incorporation of new cities and towns as components of the long-term fiscal sustainability of our region.
In addition, the mayor’s comments will highlight the recently established Veterans Support Initiative.
Tickets for the state of the town luncheon are available from the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce.
The event begins at 11 a.m. at the Hilton El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort, 10000 N. Oracle Road.
For more information, visit www.orovalleyaz.gov.
If you go
What: Oro Valley State of the Town Address
When: Oct. 6
Where: Hilton El Conquistador Resort in Oro Valley
For more info, visit
Can’t attend?
A copy of the Mayor’s speech will be posted The Explorer’s website, www.explorernews.com, late on Oct. 6.
A copy of the Mayor’s speech will be posted the Town of Oro Valley’s website, www.orovalleyaz.com, beginning
Oct. 10.
The mayor’s speech will be available to Comcast customers on its “On Demand” selections beginning Oct. 14. Viewers can find it in the “Get Local” section.
gs85739 posted at 9:33 am on Sun, Oct 9, 2011.
Mayor, please install speed cams on all major intersections in Oro Valley and save million$ on traffic cops!
Let our police deal with non traffic related crime instead.