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Leadership ♦ Research ♦ Advocacy ♦ Newsletter ♦ Speakers ♦ Counties ♦ Alliances ♦ Calendar ♦ Contact
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 Thanks to declining revenues, lawmakers revisited the FY09 budget for a third time this fiscal year to address an estimated $650 million shortfall.
Passing companion bills through both chambers in one day, the legislature balanced the budget by delaying a total of $300 million in payments to K-12 schools and $100 million to community colleges and universities, and using $250 million in additional federal stimulus money. The package also includes a provision that will reduce the amount of funding for some schools by subtracting the amounts in cash reserves.
Many members voiced ambivalence about the measures during the vote, saying they were voting for "accounting gimmicks" many had opposed in previous budgets, but that the size of the shortfall left no other options.
Governor Brewer signed the bills on Thursday. She said she was generally satisfied with the FY09 fix, but warned that she would not sign an FY10 budget that relied on "one-time measures" like cuts, fund sweeps, and rollovers.
"I am hopeful that, with a continued emphasis on negotiation and compromise, the Legislature can reach consensus with my policy goals to approve a (2009-2010) budget package promptly," she said. The latest FY09 budget fix does not include additional county impacts. Arizona's counties have already contributed over $65 million to the FY09 state budget.
Representative Steve Montenegro agreed this week to remove a county mandate from his transparency bill (HB 2615 government transparency; political subdivisions). The amendment was approved in light of the fact that counties already provide a significant amount of budget and expenditure related information on-line for constituent review, and the mandated expenditure on a searchable base is simply not prudent given the fiscal crisis faced at the county level. (Check out the Sunshine Review Project's recent survey ranking The bill passed out of COW and continues to require cities and school districts to develop and maintain searchable databases. Archived information would include a cross-link between contracts and sub-contracts, and a comprehensive database of receipts and expenditures of local monies. The measure now is ready for third read.
New this year are three concurrent forums on The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. On Tuesday, July 28 at 2:00 p.m., attend one of three "town hall settings" that will deal with:
Plan now to stay for every minute of this year's conference to bring home valuable information to your colleagues and county. Register today, save $25 by registering online and see detailed information at www.naco.org/Annual. Questions, please contact the The Obama administration has proposed an elimination of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which distributed over $16 million to Arizona agencies last year for incarcerating criminal illegal aliens.
The program funds a part of the incarceration costs for criminal aliens, and is distributed to the state Department of Corrections as well as county jails.
Peter Orszag, the director of President Obama's Office of Management and Budget, said "The evidence suggests that the funds are used in a variety of ways that are tangential to the direct cost associated with imprisoning illegal immigrants."
Counties and sheriffs across the state are mobilizing to restore the funding, along with members of Arizona's congressional delegation. Representatives Gabrielle Giffords, Harry Mitchell, Ann Kirkpatrick, and Trent Franks have all encouraged the House Appropriations Committee to fund SCAAP at least at the FY09 level of $400 million.
During her tenure as governor, current Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano billed the federal government for $500 million for costs of illegal immigration. A spokesperson for Governor Brewer said that taxpayers unfairly pay $10 million a month for costs related to illegal immigration.
Contentious hearings on the FY09 budget consumed most of Wednesday at the Capitol. Closed meetings on the FY10 budget continued, although formal hearings continue to be few and far between.
The legislature heard the following county related bills this week:
HB 2236: NOW: county operation; management (Tobin) passed House Third Read 57-1.
HB 2615: government transparency; political subdivisions (Montenegro) passed House COW.
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 and executive nominations. To view the CSA Calendar of Events, visit www.countysupervisors.org/calendar.
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County Supervisors Association of Arizona
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