Our great town has entered 2024 at hypersonic speed, and we are excited about the many major milestones we have celebrated in January alone!
First though, it is important to note that we ended an equally productive 2023 with the signing of our second multi-year Community and Economic Development agreement with Resolution Copper. This agreement provides $700,000 a year for three years to help us continue our community and economic development work as well as additional funding for our Town of Superior Youth Council and the First LEGO Robotics Team.
At our January Town Council meeting, we approved our annual audit. We all are very proud to have approved a clean audit with no substantial findings. The audit also reported that the valuation of our town increased by $218,000 and we now owe less than $1 million to our HURF imbalance! This is remarkable progress and reflects the fiscal responsibility and checks and balances we have instituted in the past several years to ensure our fiscal health continues to be sound despite working with a very meager budget and lean staff.
Superior’s Town Council also unanimously approved a Good Neighbor Agreement with Resolution Copper which has been a focus of several years’ diligent work to reach this important milestone. This agreement formalizes the agreements between Resolution Copper and the Town of Superior as well as other nonprofit organizations and Copper Corridor communities that have had various agreements with Resolution Copper. This new Good Neighbor agreement is the first of it kind for Superior and will help to ensure that the agreements and relationships we have today will be sustained through the life of the mine.
Also in January, volunteers joined with Arizona Water Company to install the plants and part of the landscaping at the Coleman Alley Park on Main Street. This park was planned through funding from the Water Now Alliance, Arizona Water Company, Resolution Copper, Rebuild Superior Inc. and, of course, the Town of Superior. This park will serve as an educational park to teach us about “green infrastructure”, which entails the design of parks, curbs and other infrastructure to better guide water safely back into the aquifers and drainage system.
Yet another major feat we accomplished in January was the official opening of the Welding Lab at the Multi-Gen Center. Ten local students registered for the welding course through Central Arizona College, which began on Jan. 16, 2024. Local leaders gathered for an official ribbon cutting and celebration this month. This achievement resulted from the many partnerships we have built to bring job training programs to Superior. It has been 24 years since residents and students in Superior had access to skilled job training programs. Thank you to Resolution Copper, Rebuild Superior Inc., Superior Enterprise Center, Central Arizona College and Cobre Valley Institute of Technology for their leadership and support to help get this program off the ground.
One particular challenge we have encountered is well beyond the town’s control, and that is the U.S. Congress’ delay in approving a budget, which has in turn caused delays for our Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrades. These delays are costly to the town and the long term progress of the overall project. At this time, we do not have an estimated time frame for when the construction will be completed. Until the construction project is completed, we have been unable to provide our effluent water to the school district. This truly is a huge concern for the town, and we have been in contact with our Arizona Congressional delegation about this situation. We will continue to persevere and use our own political capital as well as that of our many community partners to vigorously advocate for the approval of a budget that includes the funding for this critical infrastructure improvement.
Our team at the Town of Superior continues to work diligently on our day to day operations along with dozens of special projects and initiatives. This new year will undoubtedly present even more opportunities and of course challenges, and I am confident our staff and Town Council will continue to lead us toward an even brighter future that benefits all members of the Superior community.
Together, We Are Superior!
Mila Besich
Mayor