The Stadium District and the Arizona Diamondbacks designated this April as "Partnership Pride Month" to highlight the ten years of successful construction, operation and maintenance of Chase Field.
CSA Elects Supervisors Tenney, Herrington for NACo Leadership
On April 17, the CSA Board of Directors elected two supervisors to represent our organization in policy decisions at the national level. Navajo County Supervisor David Tenney was elected to serve a two-year term as CSA's National Association of Counties (NACo) Board Member, while Graham County Supervisor Mark Herrington was re-elected as Arizona's representative to the Western Interstate Region.
"Our organization is fortunate to be represented by county officials that are knowledgeable on policy issues important to Arizona," stated Craig Sullivan, CSA's Executive Director. "These supervisors will bring valuable insight to NACo's decision-making."
"I pledge to do my best to end global warming, drive down gas prices and provide root beer in the CSA drinking fountains," Supervisor Tenney joked. Then he continued on a more serious note, "I am excited for the opportunity to get involved and represent our state in the NACo process. I really appreciate the supervisors' confidence in me."
Supervisor Herrington agreed. "I appreciate my colleagues' confidence in my ability to continue serving our state on important natural resources issues," he stated. "These issues are important to every county, whether urban or rural. WIR's continued efforts on PILT, Secure Rural Schools and other vital topics will serve our counties well."
The NACo Board of Directors is responsible for supervising and managing NACo and promoting the mission of the organization. Members are appointed by each state and NACo affiliates.
The WIR is dedicated to the promotion of western interests within NACo, including public land issues, community stability and economic development.
Commissioner Mayes: Renewables Are Solution To AZ's Energy Challenges
In the face of high rates of growth and the increasing costs of conventional energy, Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes told county supervisors that renewable energies are the best way to move Arizona forward. Mayes spoke at the April CSA Board Meeting in Phoenix last Friday.
Mayes argued that as Arizona's energy demands grow, renewable sources, as well as energy efficiency plans and more conventional power, will be required to meet the state's needs. She detailed some of the measures the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) has taken to make Arizona more friendly to renewable energy: Arizona was one of the first states in the nation to adopt a renewable portfolio standard, which requires that an increasing percentage of the state's energy be from renewable sources (including solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass) until the standard reaches 15 percent in 2025.
Mayes also stated that renewable energy is good for Arizona's economy. Since every county in the state has the potential to develop either solar or wind energy, Mayes said that clean energy measures could result in the creation of thousands of jobs statewide and be especially helpful to rural counties.
Fulfilling the Renewable Energy Standard will also require that thousands of "distributed energy systems" (like residential or commercial solar panels) be installed across the state. Mayes explained the numerous private, state and federal funding sources available to defray the costs of installing these systems, and said that the ACC had begun a rulemaking process to introduce net metering. Net metering allows a consumer to be credited for energy they generate in excess of their use.
"Arizona counties have always been innovators in renewable energy," Mayes said. "I am looking forward to seeing them take full advantage of the Corporation Commission's Renewable Energy Standard by installing solar and wind systems at county facilities. Counties can reduce their electric bills while helping to reduce Arizona's carbon footprint by utilizing the Renewable Energy Standard."
ADWR Releases Sample Water Ordinance
The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has developed a model water adequacy ordinance for counties considering implementation of SB 1575, which was enacted last year. SB 1575 gave counties, cities and towns the authority to require that all new subdivisions obtain a determination of water adequacy from ADWR before houses may be built.
The "Model Ordinance" for SB 1575 lists certain additional and/or related data, documents or exhibits that developers must submit to the board of supervisors with the final plat.
Information related to the water source:
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A water report issued by ADWR determining that there is an adequate water supply for the subdivision; or
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A letter of commitment to supply water to the subdivision from a water provider designated by the ADWR as having an adequate water supply; and
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New subdivisions may be permitted where the applicant will obtain an adequate water supply within 20 years, and has obtained an interim supply.
There are certain cases where ADWR has issued exemptions to this requirement, and submission of the above documentation is not required.
Exemptions:
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If the applicant has made a "substantial capital investment" (as defined in statute) and the exemption has not expired; or
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The governing body previously approved a final plat for the subdivision prior to adoption of the ordinance and the subdivider has made changes to the plat that require new approval from the board, and the subdivider submits written verification from ADWR that the changes to the plat are not material under the rules adopted by the Department.
Click here to view the Model Ordinance, or visit the ADWR website. If you have any questions about the water adequacy program or the model ordinance, contact John Schneeman at (602) 771-8593.
ADWR encourages counties to consider adopting the water adequacy ordinance this year. ADWR employees are happy to provide additional information or make presentations to elected officials and public meetings.
This Week at the Legislature: Budget and Issue Reports
Budget
Closed-door budget negotiations focused on the FY09 budget this week, following the FY08 changes that were enacted last week (
click here for information on county impacts from the FY08 budget cuts). Though legislative leaders did not meet with the Governor, groups of legislators continued discussions on FY09 that began during the FY08 negotiations.
The FY09 deficit is projected to be up to $2 billion, and only a small portion of the FY08 budget cuts were ongoing. Everything is on the table, therefore, to fill the shortfall for the coming year. Though bonding for school construction is highly controversial, most believe it is necessary to some extent. Bonding could go as high as $864 million if legislators agree to finance almost $400 million of FY08 school construction.
The discussions are expected to continue, and rank-and-file legislators will be briefed as progress is made. They may not hear all the details, though - the House Majority Leader warned his caucus that specific cuts to agencies would likely be kept under wraps until a final agreement was made.
Lot Splits
SB 1491: subdivision reports; notice (Gorman) passed out of the House as an emergency measure this week by a vote of 54-0. The measure gained widespread support due to an amendment offered by Representative Nancy Barto (R-7), which was adopted at the suggestion of the Arizona Department of Real Estate (ADRE). With the amendment, the bill requires the ADRE to record a public notice when land has been unlawfully subdivided and thus may be ineligible for building or occupancy permits. It also allows the ADRE Commissioner to impose civil penalties against persons that subdivide lands without a public report.
The proposal was drafted by stakeholders to prevent a recurrence of an illegal subdivision in rural Maricopa County. While SB 1491 will not offer any relief to the current residents, it will address the circumstances that allowed individuals to purchase property that was ineligible for building permits and will strengthen civil penalties for illegal subdividers.
Food Regulation
HB 2582: food safety regulation (Stump) made it through the legislature without a single "no" vote and will make its way to the Governor's desk next week. The proposal ensures that bake sales, Little League food stands and child care facilities can serve specific, non-hazardous foods without oversight from local health departments, and fixes a loophole that exempted some prepackaged food from health department inspection. The bill was supported by counties and the Arizona Department of Health Services.
Agency Rulemaking
A proposal that would have prevented state agencies from increasing fees or regulatory costs failed to move forward this week. A strike-everything amendment to
HB 2063 specified that agencies could not implement rule changes that would impose increased monetary or regulatory costs on other agencies, political subdivisions of the state, businesses or individuals unless it was necessary to prevent an imminent threat to public health or safety or to avoid sanctions by a court order.
The proposed amendment appeared to target a specific situation, and would have been repealed on July 1, 2009. The bill may re-appear in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which will continue to meet throughout the session.
CSA Agenda Progress Report
Immigration Update: Temporary Workers and Employer Sanctions
Temporary Workers
Although SB 1508 was moved through caucus, Senate Republicans raised numerous questions about the bill. The strongest opposition to the measure came from Senator Ron Gould (R-3), who told his colleagues they should "pack a lunch and buckle their seatbelts" if they brought the bill to the floor, since he planned to have 20 amendments to the proposal.
Other Republicans raised questions about health screenings and provisions for health insurance for temporary workers. Tom O'Halleran (R-1) told the caucus "These workers will go the emergency room and become a burden on our taxpayers, our citizens. We should not be taking care of people who don't belong here." Other members raised questions about the enforcement of the measure, whether the federal government would approve it, and how DPS would find and account for workers who disappeared.
Some Republican caucus members spoke in favor of the bill. Senator Jake Flake (R-5) said he believed the measure would do more to stop illegal immigration than the employer sanctions bill had.
The caucus moved the bill forward to the full Senate for a hearing on the floor.
Employer Sanctions
In other immigration-related news, SB 1374 cleared both Senate caucuses and awaits a vote. In Republic caucus, Jack Harper (R-4) said the bill "fixes several problems" in last year's employer sanctions bill (HB2779) by clarifying that contractors are employers required to follow the law and prohibiting an illegal immigrant from holding a business license. Senator Victor Soltero (D-29) agreed, explaining the Democratic votes in favor by saying 1374 "makes a bad bill [HB2779] a little bit better." Senator Ron Gould (R-3) spoke in opposition to the bill, objecting to a provision that makes the measure applicable only to workers hired after December 31, 2007.
Local Enforcement
HB 2807: immigration; local enforcement (Nelson) passed the Senate by a vote of 20-9 this week and was forwarded to the Governor. The final version of the measure, after it was amended in the House, stipulates that the officials or personnel of a county cannot be prohibited from obtaining, maintaining or exchanging information relating to a person's immigration status. Local governments must be able to use this information to verify legal presence, eligibility for public benefits, or to verify identity in an arrest. The proposal also requires county sheriffs to implement a program to enforce federal immigration law.
County-Related Legislation
This week, the legislature considered the following bills with county impacts. Click here to obtain archived videos of committee hearings.
