CSA Weekly Update (03.06.2026)
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
In the March 6th, 2026, edition of the CSA Weekly Update:
NACo Leadership Academy: Congratulations 2025 Graduates!
We Are Counties: Nationwide County Recognition Campaign
New CSA Podcast Episode: Advancing Election Administration: Inside ASU’s Mechanics of Democracy Lab with Bill Gates
Where does the TPT Dough Go? New Resource on County Shared Revenues
From Statehood Forward: 60+ Changes in 1960!
CSA at the Legislature: CSA & County Staff Testimony
Committee Meetings: March 9 – 12, 2026
Session Timeline: Important Dates and Deadlines
Lifelong Learning: Upcoming NACo Webinars
NACo Leadership Academy: Congratulations 2025 Graduates!
We proudly recognize and congratulate the Arizona graduates of the 2025 NACo Leadership Academy for their dedication to public service and leadership excellence. This year, 61 graduates from five Arizona counties - Maricopa, Pima, Cochise, Yuma, and Yavapai - successfully completed the program. Their commitment to leadership development is helping strengthen county government across the state.
To see the full list of graduates, please click below!
Scholarships are still available for counties interest in participating! Join more than 15,000 county leaders nationwide who are already benefiting from the proven impact of the NACo High Performance Leadership Academy, a 12-week online leadership program developed by General Colin Powell, the Professional Development Academy, and NACo.
NACo's April Cohorts is right around the corner. Join the team in investing in the workforce – empowering professional staff to become better leaders today and into the future.
Enroll now for April 2026!
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE AND ENROLL
We Are Counties: Nationwide County Recognition Campaign
The “We Are Counties" campaign from the National Association of Counties (NACo) is a nationwide effort to spotlight the essential role America’s 3,069 counties play in keeping communities healthy, safe and thriving. From large urban centers to rural communities, counties work alongside state, federal, nonprofit and private partners to deliver critical services right where they matter most, on the ground. The campaign highlights how counties operate, the services they provide and the impact they have across every part of community life.
For more information, please check out: We Are Counties | National Association of Counties
New CSA Podcast Episode: Advancing Election Administration: Inside ASU’s Mechanics of Democracy Lab with Bill Gates
This week, we’re joined by Bill Gates, former Maricopa County Supervisor and current Director of Arizona State University’s Mechanics of Democracy Lab (MODL) and Professor of Practice at ASU, to discuss the lab’s work to strengthen election administration and public understanding of elections. We also highlight MODL’s efforts to train the next generation of election professionals through student fellowships and innovative programs like its new AI and Elections Clinic.
To learn more about MODL, visit their website here
Where does the TPT Dough Go?
New Resource on County Shared Revenues
To further the goal of making complex policy easier to understand, CSA has launched a new dedicated page with interactive visuals designed to answer key questions about the TPT distribution formula — where it comes from, how it flows, and what determines each county's share.
Why TPT Matters for Counties
State shared TPT is one of the most significant revenue streams available to Arizona's counties, accounting for anywhere between a quarter and nearly half of major General Fund resources depending on the county. That weight makes it especially consequential: unlike property tax, which is constrained by constitutional and statutory caps, TPT provides counties with a revenue source that can grow alongside economic activity.
Currently, counties collectively receive approximately 40% of the shared portion of the state's 5% sales tax rate. But the way those dollars are divided among Arizona's 15 counties isn't a simple per-capita split — it's a multi-step statutory formula that balances where the tax was collected with local population and property values.
What the New Tools Show
The two interactive visuals on the Shared Revenues page walk through that formula step by step.
The TPT Flow Chart maps the full distribution process — from collections at the state level through the various allocation pools that ultimately determine what reaches each county's General Fund. It's designed to be a practical reference to understand how the statutory formula works. Click on each section of the flow chart to get additional detail about the formula.
How TPT Collections Flow brings the numbers to life, allowing users to explore recent collection and distribution data by county. Seeing how the formula plays out in actual dollar terms helps ground the policy discussion in real-world context.
Together, these tools make a complex statutory process navigable — without requiring a deep dive into Arizona Revised Statutes to get there.
Using the Tools
Both visuals are embedded directly on the Shared Revenues page alongside a downloadable PDF flow chart for those who want a printable reference. For the most recent TPT distribution data, the General Fund Revenue Dashboard and the County Encyclopedia remain the go-to resources.
As legislative proposals continue to surface that could affect local revenue authority, having a clear, accessible explanation of how state shared revenues work can be a tool to help policy makers understand the impacts of items in the process.
Mining Day at the Capitol!
On Wednesday, February 4th, the Arizona State Capitol hosted its 10th Annual Mining Day, featuring exhibits from organizations across the mining industry, including mining companies, suppliers, and academic institutions. Mining Day at the Capitol provides a unique opportunity to explore Arizona’s rich mining heritage, experience modern mining operations through interactive simulators, and engage directly with industry experts. Mining day helps Arizona residents gain insight into how mining continues to shape Arizona’s economy and future.
For more information, click here
From Statehood Forward: 60+ Changes in 1960!
On this week’s segment of From Statehood Forward, we are highlighting the year 1960. A historic moment in Arizona’s constitutional history, 1960 marked the largest number of constitutional amendments ever approved by voters in a single election! Arizona voters approved an unprecedented 65 amendments, making a huge effort to modernize and reorganize the state’s judicial system.
Judicial Consolidation
Article 6: The Judicial Department
In 1960, Arizona voters approved 65 constitutional amendments in one election, a record that still stands today. Of those amendments, 64 focused on Article 6 of the Arizona Constitution, which governs the Judicial Department.
This complete overhaul and reform effort significantly reorganized Arizona’s court system, helping to streamline the structure of the judiciary system and improve the administration of justice across the state. By consolidating and modernizing the courts, the amendments aimed to create a more efficient and accessible judicial system for all of Arizona residents.
For more information about the evolution of Arizona's Constitution, click here
CSA at the Legislature: CSA & County Staff Testimony
As the legislative session pushes forward, CSA and county professional staff continue to engage with the Legislature through meetings with members, communicating with staff, and testifying before committees on issues of importance to county governments.
This week, staff testified on the following bills:
Committee Meetings: March 9 – 12th, 2026
Please find the full calendar of committees linked here as well as all live proceedings linked here. Committees subject to change.
Monday, March 9
Tuesday, March 10th
Wednesday, March 11th
9:00 AM – Senate Committee on Health and Human Services (Agenda, Video)
9:30 AM - Senate Committee on Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency (Agenda, Video)
1:30 PM - Senate Committee on Judiciary and Election (Agenda, Video)
2:00 PM – House Committee on Federalism, Military Affairs & Election (Agenda, Video)
2:00 PM – House Committee on Science & Technology (Agenda, Video)
2:00 PM – House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (Agenda, Video)
Session Timeline: Important Dates and Deadlines
Now that crossover week has concluded, the next deadline will be the last day for a bill to be heard in committee in its second chamber. That deadline is 3 weeks from now on March 27th. In the meantime, long floor sessions are continuing as members work to ensure their bills progress to the opposite chamber in time for the aforementioned second committee deadline.
As the 57th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session progresses, the Association will continue to provide updates on important deadlines as they pass. Please find additional deadlines linked here as well as listed below:
Lifelong Learning: Upcoming NACo Webinars
NACo Policy Insider Webinar Series: Understanding the Federal Landscape for Counties, March 12
Thursday, March 12, 2026; 3:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Last year's Inside Washington series is now NACo Policy Insider, a bi-weekly webinar offering an overview of the full federal policy landscape impacting counties, as well as deeper dives into specific policy areas, equipping county leaders with insights, context, and strategies to engage effectively on key issues from transportation and infrastructure, to public lands, to health and human services, and more.
To register, click here
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