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 James Jayne, Navajo County Manager, began his term as the President of the Arizona City/County Management Association (ACMA) at the organization's 2010 Winter Conference in Sedona, Arizona.
Members of the ACMA selected James Jayne as the organization's President-elect at last year's Winter Conference. 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." Mr. Jayne took over the President's spot from Pam Kavanaugh, an assistant city manager for the City of Glendale.
He has served as the Navajo County Manager for over five years. Previously, Mr. Jayne was the Executive Secretary of the Arizona Corporation Commission, and has also served as 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.
 After Governor Brewer called the Legislature into it's Sixth Special Session this week, lawmakers were able to muster the votes (with plenty of Democrats on board) to pass a referral which asks the voters to decide on a temporary, three-year, 1 cent sales tax.The Legislature also approved SB 1001 (6S, Burns), which calls a special election on May 18. The bill provides that the Secretary of State will reimburse counties for the cost of the election.
The legislature also acted on other special session budget bills, which authorize a roll-over of an education payment and securitize the state lottery. These bills were approved in the Senate, but have not yet been heard on the House floor. Discussion on other budget items continued as legislators met in small groups this week.
SB 1017 (elected county officers; authority) will be heard in Senate Appropriations this coming Tuesday, and supervisors from Kingman to Nogales are voicing opposition.
SB 1017 would require supervisors to give other elected officials in the county (sheriffs, treasurers, county attorneys) lump sum budgets, and then allow them to set their own rules regarding personnel policies, entering into contracts, and procurement. As the only officials responsible for levying taxes and setting tax rates, supervisors need control over the county's budget to manage efficiently (especially in a downturn) and spend taxpayer dollars responsibly.
County officials across Arizona have come out publicly to oppose the bill. Many supervisors have affirmed that the bill would result in a loss of checks-and-balances, and liability for misuse of funds would remain with the supervisors if other officers acted irresponsibly. Other elected officials around the state have cited their good working relationship with their boards, making the bill unnecessary: Santa Cruz County Attorney George Silva said "I'd love to have control of the budget, but the give and take works. I'm really happy with the way we have it down here."
To read more about the bill's effect on county government, click the links below:
Commentary: SB 1017 Drives Up County Costs, Eliminates Accountability-Arizona Rural Times
The bill will be heard in Senate Appropriations on Tuesday, February 9 at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109. Click here to view the agenda, or here to watch the hearing live.
 The National Association of Counties is hosting a series of educational webinars for county officials and staff. The latest workshops include one on grassroots lobbying for counties.
How to Lobby Congress Without Leaving Home--Thursday, February 11, 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST (12:00-1:30 p.m. AZ time) Effective lobbying comes from good “grassroots” participation. Basically, this means people expressing themselves from their home or office on matters affecting their lives and livelihood. As a county leader, you can make a difference! NACo has professional advocates on staff, but one of the most important elements for the success of our efforts on behalf of county governments is your participation. Discover how you can effectively lobby from your county offices and identify ways to get the attention of Congress. To register, https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/688126731 Please contact Matt Fellows at 202/942-4205 or mfellows@naco.org with questions. The legislature ran the 6th Special Session concurrently with its regular session this week. Legislators continued to meet in small group meetings while the Senate passed a series of budget bills. The House approved the sales tax referral and the special election bill, but left the other special session budget bills waiting on the floor.
The legislature acted on the following county-related bills this week:
HB 2211: political subdivisions; volunteers, noxious weeds (Reagan) passed House Commerce 7-0.
HB 2422: primitive roads; municipalities (Tobin) passed House Transportation and Infrastructure 8-0.
HB 2424: defensive driving schools (Crump) was held in House Transportation and Infrastructure.
HB 2471: appointed mental health experts; requirements (Goodale) was approved as amended in House Judiciary 6-0.
HB 2493: sexually violent persons; commitment (Lesko) was approved as amended in House Judiciary 7-0.
SB 1001: elected officials; print; visual media (R. Pearce) was approved in Senate Appropriations 8-1.
SB 1018: photo enforcement procedures; justice courts (R. Pearce) was retained on the Senate COW calendar.
SB 1031: elections; voter registration drives; overseas voters (R. Pearce) was approved in Senate COW.
SB 1088: juveniles; discretionary transfer; adult court (L. Gray) was held in Senate Public Safety and Human Services.
SCR1033: repeal 1998 Prop 105 (R. Pearce) was approved in Senate Appropriations 6-2.
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.)
The legislature is scheduled to hear the following county-related bills next week:
HB 2033: emissions; motorcycles; area A; date (J.P. Weiers) and,
HB 2133: air quality non-attainment areas; designation (McGuire) and,
HB 2165: vehicle emissions testing; onboard diagnostics (Nichols) will be heard in House Environment on Tuesday, February 9, in House Environment at 2:00 p.m. in House Room 5.
HB 2115: counties; public meetings; minutes; posting (Konopnicki) and,
HB 2432: fire districts; boundaries; merger; consolidation (Driggs) and,
HB 2606: state treasurer; investments (Crump) will be heard in House Government on Tuesday, February 9, at 2:00 p.m. in House Hearing Room 4.
HB 2302: publication of notices; committee (Crump) and,
HB 2568: enterprise zone credits; qualifying employees (Tobin) will be heard in House Commerce on Wednesday, February 10, at 9:00 a.m. House Room 5.
HB 2602: county recorder records; access (J.P. Weiers) will be heard in House Military Affairs and Public Safety on Wednesday, February 10, at 9:00 a.m. in House Room 3.
HB 2574: renewable energy districts (Mason) will be heard in House Water and Energy on Thursday, February 11, at 9:00 a.m. in House Room 5.
HB 2533: legislative vacancies (Gowan) and,
HB 2608: constables; jurisdiction (Driggs) will be heard in House Judiciary on Thursday, February 11 at 9:00 a.m. in House Room 4.
SB 1238: air permits; begin actual construction (S. Allen) will be heard in Senate Natural Resources, Infrastructure, and Public Debt on Monday, February 8, at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109.
SB 1017: elected county officers; authority (R. Pearce) will be heard in Senate Appropriations on Tuesday, February 9 at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109.
SB 1064: construction sales tax, design build (Nelson) and,
SB 1217: equalization board; state; reforms (Leff) and,
SB 1287: county treasurer; liens; notices; payments (Nelson) will be heard in Senate Finance on Wednesday, February 10, at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Room 3.
SB 1088: juveniles, discretionary transfer; adult court (L. Gray) will be heard in Senate Public Safety and Human Services on Wednesday, February 10, at 9:00 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room 3.
SB 1143: county realignment; local initiative (Harper) will be heard in Senate Government Institutions on Thursday, February 11, at 10:00 a.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1.
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County Supervisors Association of Arizona
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