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 Courtesy of Darryle Purcell, Mohave CountyMohave County Supervisor Gary Watson (District 1) kicked off the "Catch the Bug" program last week to encourage county residents to clean up roads and highways.
Supervisor Gary Watson (left) and Gregg Whaley of the County Traffic Control Division placed a sign on Watson's truck announcing the supervisor's pledge to clean up Mohave County. The sign reads, "CAUTION. This vehicle makes frequent stops to pick up litter. 'Catch the Bug.'" "We are hoping people will get enthused and get involved in working to clean up our communities," Watson said.
"If anyone else wants a vehicle sign like this, we can make it - just let me know what size. We can also provide big blue bags from our Adopt a Highway program. I'm not sure yet how I will fund this. If I have to pay for it myself, I will."
Members of the Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA) selected Navajo
 County Manager James Jayne as the organization's President-elect at the Winter Conference, held in Sedona on Thursday. Mr. Jayne's term will begin in February 2010.Mr. Jayne said the he was "honored by this selection by his colleagues and that he looks forward to a productive year working with cities, towns, and counties across the state."
He has served as the Navajo County Manager for over 5 years. Previously, Mr. Jayne was the Executive Secretary of the Arizona Corporation Commission, and has also served Chief of Staff for the Arizona State House of Representatives.
ACMA is a nonprofit professional organization dedicated to increasing the knowledge and ability of city, town, and county managers, as well as other local government administrators and to strengthening the quality of local government in the State of Arizona.
Held every February in varying locations across the state, the ACMA Winter Conference brings together the nonprofit's nearly 350 members for education, training and the mutual exchange of information.
 State legislators finalized a plan to close the FY09 budget plan late last Friday, and the package of cuts was signed by Governor Jan Brewer on Saturday.
The plan includes $597 million of state agency cuts, $597 million in fund sweeps, and the expectation of $500 million in federal stimulus. The budget fix assumes the state will collect only $9 million of additional revenue in the rest of the fiscal year, a reflection of collections that have been below projections most of the year.
The state maintained its commitment to counties by not cutting Prop. 204 hold harmless funds, and counties were not required to contribute to the Office of Tourism (two options which had originally been included in the budget plans proposed by Appropriations chairmen). All told, counties will be impacted by over $60 million in state budget cuts as well as numerous reductions in grants and other funds.
Thanks to the county supervisors and managers who helped mobilize a targeted effort to reduce county impacts in the budget, and special thanks to the following legislators for standing up for county interests and county constituents:
The Arizona Supreme Court also entered the budget fray with a ruling on a lawsuit brought against the state by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. The Court ruled that a $30 million provision included in the budget last June that required cities and counties to contribute to the state general fund was inappropriately placed in an appropriations bill, and struck down the provision as unconstitutional. Senate President Bob Burns (R-9) said "It's $30 million that is not available, so we are going to figure out how to make that up somewhere," but leadership has not disclosed how they intend to address the contribution issue in the future. To view CSA's analysis of county related budget cuts, click here.
 Although the federal stimulus package has yet to clear the U.S. Senate, the White House released a list this week that details the benefits Arizona might see in the proposed package. The White House says, "The recovery plan will create and save jobs in the near future while addressing long-neglected needs that are critical to laying the foundation for a strong economic future. Nationwide, Obama's plan will create or save 3-4 million jobs over the next two years. Additionally, 95% of American workers will get a tax cut and tens of billions will be invested in roads, bridges, mass transit, flood control, and clean water projects."
Benefits specific to Arizona include:
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County Supervisors Association of Arizona
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