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In the May 8, 2009 CSA Legislative Recap:
 
  House Plan Proposes Egregious Raid on Maricopa and Pima Counties 

The House Appropriations committee approved a packet of budget bills (HB 2633-2642) during a meeting on Tuesday. The bills contained about $100 million in impacts to county operations, including a whopping $82.9 million cash grab from Maricopa and Pima counties.
 
Arizona Republic columnist Bob Robb commented on the House plan:  "It steals $265 million from cities and counties, which is monstrously unfair and shouldn't be done. They have their own budget woes and are handling them much more responsibly than is the state."

The Republic editorial page stated "Arizona faces its worst shortfall ever. But the Legislature shouldn't raid the wallets of cities, towns, and counties...The recession has slammed local governments. They've already made excruciating choices, slashed services, and balanced their budgets...a big hit from the state would force deeper cuts in local services or higher taxes and fees at the local level."

Though the proposal passed committee, several of those voting "aye" commented that it was a long way from being acceptable.  The House hopes that moving the plan through committee will create an opportunity to bring the Governor to negotiations with the House and Senate.
 
The House proposal solves an estimated $2.7 billion FY10 shortfall with a combination of $650 million in agency reductions, $390 million in fund sweeps, and almost a billion dollars of federal stimulus funds. It does not contain a tax increase, but does tap $615 million in "additional revenue", which includes the "county transfers" from Maricopa and Pima. 
 
To view a complete analysis of county impacts in the budget, click here.

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Arizona Celebrates National County Government Week
 
Counties across the state joined in celebrating National County Government this week, and took the opportunity to inform constituents about the vital services their local governments provide.
 
Governor Brewer signed a proclamation declaring May 3-9 County Government Week in Arizona.  The theme for this year's County Government Week celebration was "Greening Our Future." 
 
Gila County kicked off the week with an open house at the county courthouse. Other parts of Gila's celebration included a radio broadcast, and an opportunity for county departments and community groups to showcase what they do and educate the community about their services.
 
Cochise County invited residents to get to know their county during the week, and offered  opportunities for citizens to participate in recycling programs and other "green government" efforts. The county publicized its efforts to make the county more efficient, including recycling 8,000 quarts of motor oil, installing 3,000 energy efficient light bulbs, and saving the county over $140,000 in energy savings. 
 
 AHCCCS: Caseload Growth Will Require $250 million in Additional Spending
 
Anthony Rogers, Director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) distributed a memo this week to lawmakers that indicates the state will need to spend over $250 million additional dollars to support increased AHCCCS caseloads.
 
The memo adds another layer of difficulty to the task of balancing the FY10 budget, which is already projected to include a shortfall of over $3 billion.
 
Director Rogers attributed the caseload increase to the economic downturn and subsequent job losses. Between April 2008 and April 2009, AHCCCS enrollment grew by nearly 100,000. Over 20,000 people joined the AHCCCS rolls in April alone. Jeff Tegen, AHCCCS's budget director, indicated they expected employment rates to continue to decline and were preparing for even more growth.
 
The increase in caseloads comes at a time when AHCCCS has already reduced staff due to budget cuts.  Earlier this week, Rogers announced 82 employees would be laid off.
 
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Over 200 Local Officials Attend Energy Efficiency Grant Workshop
 
Over 200 staffers from Arizona's counties, cities, and towns attended a workshop organized by APS on Wednesday to learn more about the Energy Efficiency Block Grants (EEBG) program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
 
The workshop included presentations from Corporation Commission Chairman Kris Mayes, who told the audience that the EEBG presented an unprecedented opportunity. "By leveraging federal moneys along with state opportunities and utility incentives, many local governments can make energy efficiency improvements to their communities for little or no up-front costs." Representatives from the Governor's office, and the Arizona Department of Commerce Energy Office also presented, and the workshop included breakout sessions designed to help small and large communities learn what they need to take advantage of the program.
 
The EEBG program was created in the 1970's under the Department of Energy, but was not sufficiently funded until the ARRA. It includes formula allocations for all 50 states as well as large and medium communities. Smaller towns and counties who do not qualify for a formula allocation can apply for competitive grants from the state or federal government.
 
EEBG funds can be used for any of 14 eligible activities, including building retrofits, technical consulting, methane reduction at landfills, trip-reduction programs, or placing renewable energy features on government buildings.
 
To use EEBG funds a local government must develop an energy efficiency and conservation strategy, either before applying or before the award. Grant funding is available to support technical studies or consulting that lead to the development of a strategy.
 
The deadline to apply for competitive EEBG grants is June 25.
 
 NACo Steering Committee Nominations Open
 
The National Association of Counties (NACo) has opened the process for county officials to seek membership on a NACo policy steering committee for 2009-2010.   There are different processes for supervisors already serving on a steering committee and those supervisors who are new to the process.
 
Supervisors who currently serve on a steering committee for 2008-09 should notify CSA if:  
  • You would like to continue to serve for 2009-10 (you do not need to fill out a new form),
  • You would like to continue to serve, but would like to switch to another committee (please indicate the new committee), 
  • You do not wish to serve on a steering committee for 2009-10 and would like your name removed from your current committee.
For those county officials who are new to the process and do not currently serve on a steering committee:
  • A nomination form and a grassroots contact information form are attached here.  Please complete both forms and return to Penny Adams at CSA. 

Nominations must be approved and submitted by the state association through Executive Director Craig Sullivan.  Steering committee appointments serve for one fiscal year.

Applications to CSA are due June 16. The NACo president-elect will consider approval of all nominations after the NACo Annual Conference in July.  NACo will announce the appointments to steering committees in September. 
 
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 This Week At the Legislature
 
The legislature heard the following proposals with county impacts this week:
 
HB 2048: local elections; signature requirements (Reagan) passed House Third Read 56-0.
 
HB 2061:  probation; surveillance; detention officers; retirement (Konopnicki) passed House COW.
 
HB 2190: nuisance abatement; entry on premises (Barnes) passed House COW.
 
HB 2285: merger; fire district assistance tax (Yarbrough) passed House Third Read 36-24.
 
HB 2373: taxation; biogas facilities (Murphy) passed House COW.
 
HB 2514: amateur radio structures, accommodation (McLain) passed House COW.
 
HB 2570: fire districts; boundaries; merger; consolidation (Pratt) passed House Rules 5-0.
 
Next Week at the Legislature
 
The legislature is not yet scheduled to hear any county related bills next week. The Rules agenda had not yet been posted at press time.
 
Check the legislative calendar at www.azleg.gov/alistoday.asp for updated schedules, as the House may release a COW or floor calendar later in the week.
 
Most committees are not meeting, although a few  House and Senate standing committees continue to hear informational and program presentations.
 
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Calendar
 
To view the CSA Calendar of Events, visit www.countysupervisors.org/calendar.
 
 
 
 
 
 
County Supervisors Association of Arizona
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Phoenix, Arizona 85009
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