The Present - Mission & Priorities

The Present- Mission & Priorities

The mission of SXD is to promote self-determination and provide a legacy for future generations by guiding, leading, and supporting the community in the protection and preservation of the land, water, air, culture, traditions, knowledge, language, and vitality of community. Although this mission has not changed over time, the ways in which SXD approaches its mission have expanded over the years.

SXD meets many societal needs, including housing, education, environmental and cultural resource protection, law enforcement, health and wellness, and elder care. Clients for all of these services are the enrolled tribal members of the San Xavier community. Ages range from infant to senior, and most clients served are low to very-low income. With fourteen departments, there are many priorities. These can be divided into the clusters of land and natural resources, community and economic development, human resources, and governance. Under land and natural resources, priorities can be broken down into the specific areas of water resources, mineral resources, agriculture, rangelands, and environmental quality. Priority areas for water resources include developing a water management plan and researching large-scale groundwater recharge within the District. Mineral resource priorities focus on assuring ASARCO compliance with federal reclamation and lease requirements as it begins the shutdown process for its San Xavier Copper Mine. Under agriculture, the District holds the priority of assisting the San Xavier Cooperative Association with their rehabilitation and expansion of the Coop Farm. Rangeland priorities focus on developing a Range Management Plan.

For community and economic development, priority areas include housing, transportation, public facilities, and community and industrial development. The Housing program has a waiting list of over 100 households need of major repairs before they will comply with building codes, and reducing this waiting list is a high priority. The key transportation priority is road repair. There is a pressing need for paved roads within SXD; the vast majority of homes are accessible only via dirt roads that are in poor repair and are nearly impassable during summer rains.

Economic and infrastructure development are important priorities because the District recognizes that, over the long run, simply delivering services is not an effective way to increase the quality of life within the community. Rather, community members must have opportunities for business development and employment if they are to make permanent strides toward self-sufficiency. Therefore, building infrastructure and creating an environment in which new businesses can flourish is a high priority.

For Human Resources, priority areas include education, health, cultural resources, social services, and employment and training. Under education, main concerns include supporting youth who are currently in school, helping youth who have dropped out return to school, increasing the community’s perception of the value of education, and preserving traditional knowledge through free language and culture classes. Long-term priorities include expanding the Education Center, to allow for more educational programs for community.

Under health, precedence is given to prevention programs for youth and to elder care programs. The latter focus on helping San Xavier elders remain in their own homes while maintaining social interaction, health, safety, and a good quality of life. Prevention programs focus on helping youth stay in school and stay away from drugs and alcohol. A key goal in this area is the construction of a recreation center where community members will engage in activities such as fitness and nutrition classes, after-school recreation and team sports. Other human resource priorities include expanding violence and abuse prevention programs, increasing opportunities for youth to gain work experience, and helping more Tohono O’odham become certified teachers.

Finally, in the area of governance, the District’s top priority is to ensure it is an efficient, professional government organization. This priority includes the San Xavier District Council, the elected body that makes and/or oversees policy decisions for the District. Governance priorities also include a new District administration building that will allow all programs to be centralized. This new building will make District operations more efficient and will improve the working conditions of District employees, reducing turnover and further increasing effectiveness. It is discussed in more detail below.

Finally, governance priorities include advocating for residents in the face of accelerated growth in the nearby communities of Tucson, South Tucson, and Sahuarita. This growth has increased trespassing, encroachment, and development in and near the District. The District government puts great importance on assuring it has a place at the table when nearby municipalities discuss growth, resource use, pollution, and other trans-border issues.



Current Needs

Most of the District’s current needs stem from the fact that demand for services is growing at a rate that outstrips growth of the organization. Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the U.S. As the populations of SXD and surrounding municipalities increase, there are more SXD neighbors trespassing on the District and harming cultural and natural resources; more seniors in need of meals; more homeowners calling for assistance to bring their homes up to code; and more youth requiring academic and emotional support.

Needs are felt most acutely at the staffing and facility levels. District operations are currently housed in trailers dating from the late 1970s and early 1980s. These trailers are in very poor condition. The electrical systems within them cannot handle modern office equipment such as computers, fax machines, and copiers. Power outages occur frequently. The overloading of most trailers’ electrical systems raises the very real possibility of fire, leading to loss of irreplaceable government records and possible loss of life. The trailers leak during storms, and files and office equipment have been damaged by rain. The trailers do not comply with the ADA.

In addition, these trailers are at full capacity; there is no open office space within them. There is no extra land to house new trailers. This lack of space prevents the hiring of additional staff members needed to meet increasing demand for services in the community. There is an urgent need for a new District administration building that will centralize all departments, increase available office space, and improve working conditions.

​

​