The Tucson City Council is set to vote Tuesday on paying City Manager Mike Ortega $300,000 per year, but the they're being needlessly shifty about it. Plus a plethora of other local government meetings this week. Read more»

Oro Valley staff will present Town Council members with the option to (maybe) regulate short-term rentals. Violations could carry a punishment of $3,500 or suspension of a license to operate such a business. Read more»

Marana's proposal would include professional development, student achievement and school quality to give teachers an overall performance grade. If the math were only that easy. Read more»

Oro Valley has agreed to a tweak of their deal to take part in Pima County's early childhood education program. Did they get the socialism memo? It's the one from Hugo Chavez's ghost. Read more»

Tucson city staff will ask for an informal nod to move to start working with 190 families who owe $135,000 in back rent, while local school district budgets are set for adoption after state runs late on its spending plan. Read more»

Sales tax revenues can ride a fiscal rocket during good times. Amphi, Vail and Catalina Foothills schools rely on property tax revenues and miss out on the windfall. Plus more in the Sentinel's roundup of what's on the agendas for local government meetings this week. Read more»

Catalina Foothills-area voters are likely going to be in a position to decide whether to continue a 13 percent increase in school funding above the state expenditure limit. Read more»

The Sahuarita Town Council has a list of six finalists to choose from, who seem to have a consensus that better community engagement and growth management are key concerns for the community. Read more»

Marana may have outgrown its constitutional spending limit as it is no longer just some scattered houses in the desert, while Tucson police argue their salaries are no longer competitive. Voters and arbitrators will have the final say. Read more»

Oro Valley's across-the-board water rate increase was planned but kind of lets big users off the hook, while the South Tucson's game of "Guess where our budget went" is not how to run a city. Read more»

The political world loves "rainy day funds," but Sahaurita's excess cash is borderline insane. Meanwhile, a Tucson Unified School District's audit committee woes are the fault of a community that doesn't want to step up. Read more»

The Tanque Verde and Catalina school district governing boards will vote on a pair of November ballot questions aiming to raise more money. Read more»

The Pima County Board of Supervisors will hold four budget hearings next Tuesday and Wednesday to go over a proposed $1.9 billion spending plan — complete with a sneaky tax hike — department by department. Read more»

Tucson's $158 million "fund balance" creates opportunities for the City Council to spend on transportation and public safety priorities. Plus, more in our quick look at what's planned for local government meetings this week. Read more»

Sahuarita, which doesn't have its own municipal water utility, wants to control its hydrated future and is taking some interesting steps to reach that promised land. Read more»