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In the January 23, 2009 CSA Legislative Recap:

Supervisors Join Jan Brewer at Gubernatorial Inauguration

County supervisors from across Arizona came to the state capitol on Tuesday to watch Secretary of State Jan Brewer take the oath of office to become the 22nd Governor of Arizona. Chief Justice Ruth McGregor administered the oath. Former governors Raul Castro, Rose Mofford, Fife Symington, and Jane Hull were also present at the ceremony.

 

The county supervisors on hand to welcome and congratulate Governor Brewer included:
  • Buster Johnson, Mohave County
  • Fulton Brock, Maricopa County
  • Andrew Kunasek, Maricopa County
  • Max Wilson, Maricopa County
  • David Tenney, Navajo County
  • Bryan Martyn, Pinal County
  • Tom White, Jr. Apache County
  • Richard Searle, Cochise County
  • David Snider, Pinal County
  • Pete Rios, Pinal County 
For a copy of Governor Brewer's Inaugural Address, click here.
 
Massive Cost Shifts Proposed to Help Patch State Budget
 
Having already absorbed a $72 million state cost shift in FY09, counties face the specter of paying millions more over the final 5 months of the current fiscal year.  Appropriations chairmen, Senator Russell Pearce (R-18) and Representative John Kavanagh (R-8), offered the options to address an immediate shortfall estimated at $1.6 billion and to address an estimated $3 billion shortfall in FY10.
 
In FY09, options include eliminating the Prop. 204 hold harmless commitments extended to 6 counties, shifting costs associated with restoration to competency back to rural counties, shaving 5% of lottery dollars earmarked for county assistance, forcing local governments to help fund state tourism marketing efforts, and eliminating travel reduction dollars for counties burdened by air quality mandates. 
 
The options for FY10 are even more onerous.  Counties appear to be dialed in for a $72 million hit in the JLBC baseline budget.  Added to this would be the enormous costs associated with the proposed shifting to counties of state expenditures associated with ATLCS and incarceration, among other things.
 
A resolution to FY09 could be reached as early as next week.  The Appropriations chairmen have warned members that failing to solve FY09 by February 1st will add another $153 million to the deficit. 
 
CSA has released a preliminary analysis of the county impacts contained in the chairmen's options by fiscal year, click to download FY09 or FY10. 

 
Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Local Contributions to State Budget

The Arizona Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday in a case filed by the Arizona League of Cities and Towns challenging the legality of a $30 million contribution from local governments included in the FY09 state budget. Attorney Chuck Blanchard argued for the League against representatives for the state Governor and Treasurer, defendants in the suit.

The lawsuit questions whether the state legislature violated the constitution by passing the contribution without a 2/3 vote. The League argued that the contribution represents a new tax or fee and is therefore subject to a constitutional supermajority requirement. The state has argued that the contribution simply represents a reduction in money the state distributes to local governments.

A decision on the suit is expected in the coming weeks. To view a video of the oral arguments, click here.
 
Rural Transportation Summit Wraps Up in Navajo County
 
By Laurie Stradling, Navajo County
 
Navajo County elected officials and staff participated in the 11th Annual Arizona Rural Transportation Summit, co-hosted by White Mountain Regional Transportation Committee (WMRTC) and Northern Arizona Council of Governments (NACOG) at the Hon-Dah Resort Conference Center on January 21-23.

"The Arizona Rural Transportation Summit provides transportation planners and local elected officials an opportunity to come together and discuss issues with Arizona's transportation experts and decision makers," said Navajo County Supervisor Jerry Brownlow. "Hopefully, bringing these key players in state transportation to the table together will result in solutions for the unique challenges we face here."

Attendees included Navajo County Supervisor Jesse Thompson, members of the State Transportation Board, the ADOT Director and senior staff, and local elected officials and staff from rural cities and counties. "This was a gathering of A-list transportation folks statewide," said Jack Husted, former ADOT chair. "We're grateful we could host these people."
 
Supervisor Brownlow and Supervisor J.R. DeSpain were among those who gave opening remarks at the conference. Supervisor Brownlow welcomed the attendees to Hon-Dah as part of his district, especially thanking the ADOT Board for agreeing to have their meeting at the Conference center. Supervisor DeSpain thanked the key players in the audience for coming together for the summit. 

"This is our eleventh summit, and we hope to have more,"  Supervisor DeSpain said.
 
Lawmakers Examine Photo Radar Program

The statewide photo radar program got a lot of attention from lawmakers in both legislative chambers this week: the Senate examined the finances of the program in detail in a hearing on Tuesday, and on Thursday the House Transportation Committee passed a measure eliminating photo radar on state highways.

In the Senate, the Public Safety and Human Services Committee, chaired by Linda Gray (R-10), questioned DPS about the program, the contract with vendor Redflex, and the impact on state finances. Phil Case, Budget Officer for the Arizona Department of Public Safety, explained that revenue from paid photo radar tickets basically goes to the vendor (at a rate of about $30 per paid violation) and to the state general fund. Case said that the program had recently made its first deposit into the general fund of approximately $840,000, and estimated that about 25-30% of the tickets issued have been paid so far. DPS told legislators they would need additional funding to administer the program in the future.

Senator Al Melvin (R-26) said "I'm hearing from my constituents the feeling that this program was put together as a revenue generator, to help solve the budget problem. I think that rubs people the wrong way, including me. What I'm hearing loud and clear from my constituents is to get rid of this thing as fast as we possibly can."

Photo radar also received a cold reception from the House Transportation Committee, chaired by Representative Andy Biggs (R-22). The only bill on the committee's agenda was Sam Crump's (R-6) HB 2106, which would eliminate photo radar on all state highways. Crump told the committee, "We are all for highway safety, but you can be for this bill and for highway safety."

Representatives objected to photo radar on a number of bases, including a lack of due process in the program and concerns about the effectiveness of the cameras versus officers on the road. DPS officers Commander Tom Woodward and Lieutenant Jeff King were grilled by the committee on how DPS monitors the contract, decides on placement, speed limits, and numerous other options during the marathon hearing. The hearing also included a parade of constituents, the vast majority speaking in favor of the photo radar ban.

The committee passed the bill 6-2, with Democrats Rae Waters (Dist. 20) and Eric Meyer (Dist. 11) voting "no."

To watch the committee hearing, click here.
 
Last Week at the Legislature

Senate committees spent the week examining state programs in detail to prepare for budget talks. House committees heard the following county-related bills:

HB 2018 writ fee; collection; courts (Konopnicki) passed House Jud 7-0 on Thursday, January 22.
HB 2045  constables; jurisdiction (Konopnicki) passed House Jud 7-0 on Thursday, January 22.
HB 2058  commissioners; qualifications (Konopnicki)   passed House Jud 7-0 on Thursday, January 22.
HB 2106 prohibit photo radar; state highways (Crump)  passed House Trans/Infra 6-2 on Thursday, January 22.
Next Week at the Legislature

The legislature will consider the following proposals with county impact next week.  Click here to watch the committee hearings live, or click here to view archived video of committees. (Agendas are subject to change; visit the legislative calendar for updates on daily calendars.) 

HB 2015 county retiree health insurance (Konopnicki) will be heard in House Natural Resources and Rural Affairs on Monday, Jan. 26t, at 2:00 PM in House Room 4.

HB 2285 fire district assistance tax; mergers (Yarbrough) will be heard in House Ways and Means on Monday, Jan. 26, at 2:00 P.M. in House Room 1.

HB 2267 municipalities; counties; fire districts; codes (Crump) will be heard in House Government on Tues, Jan 27 at 2:00 P.M. in House Room 4.

HB  2061 retirement; CORP; probation officers; customary employment (Konopnicki) will be heard in House  Public Employees, Retirement & Entitlement Reform on Tues, Jan 27 at 2:00 P.M. in House Room 3.

HB 2259 local development fees; procedures (Biggs) will be heard in House Commerce on Wednesday, Jan 28 at 9:00 A.M. in House Room 5.

HB 2063 recoverable jury costs (Kavanagh) will be heard in House Judiciary on Thursday, Jan 29 at 9:00 A.M. in House Room 4.
Calendar
 
Visit the CSA Calendar of Events at www.countysupervisors.org/calendar

 
 
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