Elect Carol Condit District 15 State Representative

I am Caroline B Condit.

I am a 60 year old American female nurse who, out of a deep love of my GOD and my country, can no longer deny what I see happening to my country as not being a catastrophic time in my life.

I feel a fear and discord in those I speak with on a day to day basis. I sense the dis-ease that is weighing on peoples shoulders and hear the uncertainty in their asking what we can do to stop this march to the potential loss of our freedoms.

I realize that sense of dis-ease as I too feel it.

I can not stand by and expect “someone else” to fight for my freedom if I too am not willing to step-up to the challenge.

I come from a very diverse background.

I am the daughter of a military wife, 2 military fathers.

I raised two great children on my own.

I am a survivor of a child sexual predator attack.

I have a diverse work background that includes: Cosmetologist, rape and suicide counselor, prior authorization Nurse and patient care coordinator for a couple third party administrators.

EMT/EMT-A, search and rescue volunteer,

Insurance agent, Loan Officer, Public Speaking Teacher, hold and AOS in the Holistic Healthcare field, Life Coach in “Dying, Death and Bereavement” a Hospice CLN with Grace Hospice, a not for profit Hospice and last but not least a rescue foster mom for animals cast aside.

I am an AMERICAN first and foremost, who believes our Founding Fathers took their own freedoms to heart enough to fight to assure that same protection to future generations.

I, therefore, feel obligated to my American forefathers to continue their cause today, in protecting our Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and Constitution, by serving my fellow American Citizens, man, women and child.

Please help me be a voice for us in 2010.

Source: Carol Condit for AZ State Representative LD15

Elect Bob Thomas District 15 Senate

Last election, I did not believe there was a Senate candidate for District 15 who could adequately represent my views. Rather than continue to talk about a lack of choice, I’ve decided to enter the race and offer voters in the 15th District common sense representation.

Just as each family should be responsible in their finances, I am passionate about government acting and spending our resources responsibly. Education is critical to our changing world, and I believe public education should provide incentives to attract the best and brightest teachers and administrators. Likewise, parents need to have the ultimate choice in where and how their children are educated. Business and our economy are a major corner stone to the freedoms we enjoy, and we must encourage our business leaders to grow and innovate. We need to protect and use our natural resources wisely. I strongly support defending the most vulnerable among us and value the sanctity of human life.

Over the last eight years, my wife Cindy and I have come to love Phoenix and Arizona. We relocated from Mississippi so Cindy could continue her career as a Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietitian.

I was fortunate to have purchased and operated a family furniture store, as well as, businesses in advertising, insurance and heavy equipment distribution. Following the sale of those businesses I became involved in farming and cattle ranching until our move to Phoenix in 2000. Currently I sell and distribute equipment and supplies for the automotive finishing industry.

I value the education and experiences I gained while serving with the 134th Surgical Hospital MASH unit during the Vietnam era.

In Mississippi we helped found a Child Crisis Center, a Group Home for Girls and a Home for the Aging. I currently serve on the Wildlife Conservation Committee with the Arizona Game and Fish department. Living in the Historic Willow’s district, Cindy and I are active with neighborhood activities.

I strongly support the citizen representative form of government we are blessed with and I would appreciate your vote.

Download a copy of my campaign contribution form here.

Source: Bob Thomas for AZ State Senate (LD15) http://www.VoteBobThomas.org

Google Maps recognizes Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association as a Favorite Place on Google

Congratulations! You have made Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association a Favorite Place on Google. Between July 1 and September 30, Google users found Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association listed 5547 times, and requested driving directions or other information about our association 216 times.

Because we are so popular, Google provided a decal that shows citizens we are a Favorite Place on Google. The sticker includes a special bar code that citizens may scan with cameras on their phones. Then they can see Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association listings on Google, read and write reviews, and be added as a favorite right there. Our office is located in the Executive Towers Condominiums at 207 W. Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013. Stop by and visit the facility and ask the office manager, Cindy Lee or one of the front desk attendants if you can capture the special bar code from the sticker. We have placed it on the condo resident bulletin board in the mail room adjacent to the lobby.

Send us an email at Info@PhoenixCentral.org if you have problems.

We look forward to providing you with more and better ways to grow the Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association.

Alton J. Jones
Chairman
Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association

PhoenixCentral.org

P.L.A.N. Update - Fourth Special Session Wraps Up; Fifth in the Wings‏

Fourth Special Session Wraps Up; Fifth in the Wings

Governor Brewer called the Legislature into its Fourth Special Session on November 17 to deal with a portion of the current $2 billion shortfall in the state budget. After a few hiccups, the Legislature concluded its special session business and adjourned Sine Die on November 23. During the brief session, four bills were debated, adopted and transmitted to the Governor for her approval. Governor Brewer signed the bills on November 23.

The four bills are:

SB1001 general appropriations; 2009-2010
SB1002 K-12; budget reconciliation
SB1003 general revenues; 2009-2010
SB1004 anti-deficiency statutes; property; amendments

Among other things, the bills impose $300 million in permanent budget cuts in K-12 education and the Arizona Department of Economic Security, leaving about the State still about $1.7 billion short this year, but reducing the estimated FY 2011 shortfall to about $3 billion. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee summarized the Impacts of the 4th Special Session in this linked document. Click here for a summary of the final provisions of the Budget Reconciliation Bills.

With a significant shortfall remaining this fiscal year, many observers are talking about another special session before the end of the calendar year.

Best wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family.

Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

A Special Session is "Brewing"‏

4th Special Session In the Wind

The Governor and legislative leaders are talking about a special session that is likely to be called during the week of November 16 to partially address an estimated $2 billion budget shortfall this fiscal year. Legislative leaders are briefing members about a preliminary plan that would yield about $540 million of FY 2010 reductions. K-12 and the Department of Economic Services(DES) would bear the brunt of the cuts -- about $140 million each, an amount that reduces spending to 2006 levels, the minimum required to remain eligible for federal stimulus funds already accepted. The remainder of the FY 2010 shortfall would be left until after the turn of the year.

Phoenix Budget Condition

This week Phoenix city departments received instructions for 2010-11 budget preparation. As the state experiences revenues below last year's levels, so is the city of Phoenix. To be prepared for a worst case scenario, departments are being asked to identify 30 percent cuts to programs and personnel paid with general funds. Public Safety departments including Police, Fire, Municipal Court, Prosecutor and Public Defender are being asked to identify 15 percent cuts. The resulting reduction lists are a tool for city management to prepare recommendations to the Mayor and Council who will enact a budget following public hearings. The general timeline is:

Dec. 1 - Jan. 15
- Manager's Office reviews reduction lists

Feb. 2 -
Balanced budget proposed to City Council

Feb 10 - 24 -
Community hearings

March 2 -
Final Recommended Budget presented to City Council

April 5 -
Reductions effective

What can you do?

Attend your community hearing to tell your City Council member and city management what programs and services are most important to you.

Take advantage of one of the "Understanding Your State Legislature" workshops scheduled Nov. 17 or Nov. 19. Register online now or call 602-262-1833 to reserve space for one of these free events. Seating is limited.

Contact your State Senator and State Representatives to ask them to protect Shared Revenues for cities and towns. Click on "Link to the P.L.A.N." below to go to your "My PLAN" page to find your legislators' contact information.

Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Source: P.L.A.N.

Special Legislative Session before Thanksgiving?‏

Rumors of a Special Legislative Session

Rumors are circulating about a special legislative session to be convened before Thanksgiving to address a portion of the State’s projected $2 billion shortfall in the current fiscal year. Fixes are needed to continue agency operations that were impacted by the Governor’s vetoes in September.

"Understanding Your State Legislature" Workshops

You are invited to a FREE workshop designed to help demystify the legislative process for Phoenix residents. Choose one of two workshops that are being offered this fall before the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tuesday, November 17
5:30 - 7p.m.
Pecos Community Center
17010 S. 48th Street Thursday, November 19
5:30 - 7p.m
Maryvale Community Center
4420 N. 51st Ave.

Each workshop will present an overview of the legislative process and how to get involved in decisions being made at the State Legislature, as well as tips on effective lobbying techniques and how to use technology to track legislation. In addition, two state lawmakers have been invited to attend to offer advice on how to effectively communicate with your legislator and how the decisions they make impact your neighborhood.

Nov. 15 is the first day that prefiled bills can be "dropped." Both workshops present a good opportunity to learn more about this process from our guest legislators. Other topics to be covered at these events include:

How a bill becomes law in Arizona

How to follow bills and contact your representatives!

How to sign on and use the Phoenix Legislative Action Network (P.L.A.N.)

How to identify your state legislators and other elected officials using the P.L.A.N.

And more!

This free event is sponsored by the Phoenix Government Relations Office to encourage public involvement from neighborhood groups and residents in debating and developing public policy. We hope to see you there!

Source: P.L.A.N.

Register online now or call 602-262-1833 to reserve space for one of these free events. Seating is limited.

planPHX - Big Question #2‏

IMAGINE PHOENIX IN 2050. WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Go to www.phoenix.gov/planphx and go to Events to find a Visioning Workshop during the month of November.

The Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association participates in the Encanto Village group.

Source: City of Phoenix Planning Department

State Budget Buzz‏

State Agencies Getting Ready for FY 2011, But 2010 Needs More Work

Last month the Governor's Office of Strategic Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) asked each state agency to identify potential actions that would reduce their spending next fiscal year by 15 percent. Some of those ideas and their impacts to state services have been in the news. The agency submittals are posted for public view on the OSPB web site at http://www.ospb.state.az.us/BudgetReports.asp. As you look them over, keep in mind that the lists are of potential actions for FY 11 - they have not been adopted and are intended as a planning tool.

Yesterday, the Finance Advisory Committee (FAC), a group of economic experts from areas such as the real estate and utilities industries as well as universities, met to discuss the overall economic environment and state revenue projections. Following that meeting, Richard Stavneak, Director of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), shared a staff memorandum with members of the JLBC. The memo summarizes the state's FY 09 shortfall, FY 10 veto impact, FY 10 revenues and other FY 10 projections. Based on these elements, JLBC staff project that the FY 10 ending balance will fall short of the budget by $2 billion. View the entire Finance Advisory Committee Revenue and Budget Update Presentation of October 22, 2009 and more.

As the State's coffers are just about running on empty, there is more rumbling about the Governor calling a special legislative session to enact spending cuts and other adjustments in November or early December. Stay tuned.

Bad News Rolls Downhill

Included in yesterday's report was the sobering news that Urban Revenue Sharing (the part of Shared Revenue that comes from the state income tax) will decrease in FY 11 by $155 million due to sluggish income tax revenue in 2009. That means $47 million less for Phoenix than in FY 10. Income tax, sales tax and Highway User Fund revenues continue to lag behind last year. Shared Revenues typically represent between 30 and 40 percent of a city or town's general fund budget, and are spent primarily on police and fire services.

Phoenix is underway with our regular budget cycle, evaluating expenditures and preparing for potential reductions - reductions that would be made worse by any additional Shared Revenue sweeps by the State Legislature. Departments are examining their budgets for any possible savings that have emerged since the last budget planning cycle. So for now,

Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Source: P.L.A.N.

A Comment on Town Hall Meetings?

"We'll have a military dictatorship fairly soon, on the basis that nobody else can hold everything together. Obama would have been better off focusing on educating the American people.

His problem is being over-educated. He doesn't realize how dim-witted and ignorant his audience is."

Source: Gore Vidal

Vote NO on Your School Override on Nov. 3rd‏

Half of the school districts in the state are holding override elections on November 3rd. (Early ballots have already been mailed to voters.) In some cases, school districts are asking taxpayers and voters for more money. In other cases, they are asking taxpayers and voters to maintain spending at current levels.

The truth is that your school district has plenty of taxpayer money--more than enough to pay for excellent teachers and good administration. The simple fact is that they are WASTING MUCH OF YOUR MONEY.

According to page 6 from the Annual Report of the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction, school districts in 2008 had revenues from all sources of $9,232,916,095:

http://www.azed.gov/annualreport/AnnualReport2008/Vol1.pdf

On page 8 of that report, you can see that Arizona school districts in 2008 had 951,117 students.

Do the math, and you find that Arizona school districts had resources of $9,707 per child.

(Beginning on page 58 of the superintendent’s report, you can look up the figures for specific school districts, which are organized by county and then in alphabetical order by district).

If your child’s average classroom has 25 students, that means there is $240,000 of resources in that classroom. Think about that for a moment.

There is enough money in your child’s classroom to pay your child’s teacher a very good annual salary-and-benefits package of $80,000.

There is enough money to also have a special education teacher assigned to those students, and to pay that individual $80,000 a year. And, there is enough money left over to dedicate $80,000 for administration, athletics, facilities, and other overhead.

The problem is that your district is mismanaging that money. Much of the blame goes to labor rules imposed by the teacher unions. Good teachers are not paid nearly enough, and bad teachers are not given the pink slips they deserve. Instead, under the union pay scale, good teachers and bad teachers are paid the same. Also, most school districts are very heavy on bureaucratic overhead. Further, Arizona’s school system has spent lavishly on capital projects.

Powerful lobbying groups, such as the Arizona Education Association and the Arizona School Boards Association, promote the BIG LIE that Arizona schools do not have enough resources. Your newspaper editorial boards then repeat that BIG LIE. They tell us that Arizona is 49th in the country in per-pupil spending. Even if Arizona was 49th in the country, $9,700 per child is more than enough money to give Arizona the best school system in the country.

Again, the problem is not a lack of money. The problem is mismanagement.

On November 3rd, when it comes time to vote on your school district’s override, do not be bamboozled by promises that more money will lead to increased student performance. There is no evidence whatsoever to support that notion. If you give more money to Arizona school districts, they will very likely continue to waste that money.

America ’s government schools have sucked up more and more money for decades. Since 1970 we have more than doubled per-pupil spending, in constant dollars. Sadly, we have very little (if anything) to show for those investments when it comes to student performance:

http://www.heritage.org/research/Education/images/b2179_chart4.gif

If your school district is asking to renew an existing override, do not be blackmailed by the myth that the result will be drastic spending cuts. Even school districts that are trying to renew full 15 percent overrides will lose less than ten percent of their budgets if the overrides fail.

Even with a 20-percent budget cut, there would still be enough money in the average district to provide for an excellent education. Instead of an $80,000 salary package, the available resources in your child’s classroom could support a teacher and a special ed instructor at $64,000 each, leaving $64,000 per classroom for administration, athletics, facilities, and other overhead.

Charter schools in Arizona received $7,844 per child in 2008. That is 20 percent less than district schools. And yet, charter schools have proven to do a better job of educating kids, including disadvantaged student populations:

http://www.nber.org/~schools/charterschoolseval/

Further, many Arizona private schools provide an excellent education for tuition of less than $5,000 per year:

http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/article/1851

There are proven ways to improve school performance, but they do NOT involve giving lots of money to mismanaged school districts. For ideas, start in Florida:

http://www.goldwaterinstitute.org/article/2577

The bottom line is that we need more education for our tax dollars, not more tax dollars for education.

Please join me in voting NO on the November 3rd school overrides.

Source:

Tom Jenney
Arizona Director
Americans for Prosperity

Phoenix General Plan Update available for download

The Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association has requested the City of Phoenix Planning Department to make its presentation about the General Plan Update available online for download.

Click here to download a copy of this presentation.

FYI: It's a 4.6MB pdf.

Source: City of Phoenix

You Make the Difference for Phoenix‏

Sales Tax Revenue Continues to Slide

As sales tax revenue dips ever deeper throughout the state, Phoenix is challenged to maintain and improve services. For the two-month period of July and August, city sales tax revenue was down 17.1% from the prior year. This trend makes revenue sharing more important than ever to our community. When you talk to your state representatives, remind them that revenue sharing keeps your city strong and safe. Contact information for legislators is available on the P.L.A.N. website.

But there's more you can do. Remember to "shop Phoenix." When you buy from retailers within the city, your money stays in the community and supports funding for local police, fire, libraries and parks. Everyone can be a part of maintaining essential city services through their shopping choices. Great local shopping destinations can be found at phoenix.gov/ECONDEV/shopphx.pdf

And there's still more you can do. In response to citizen requests for maintaining services on a reduced budget, Phoenix created the Community Involvement Web page where volunteer opportunities including Block Watch, Phoenix Police Reserve Program, Phoenix Boards and Commissions and other programs are featured. To learn more, visit phoenix.gov/residents/community/index.html.

Neighborhood Services Busting Blight

Phoenix’s Neighborhood Services Department (NSD) is hard at work engaging the local community to clean up graffiti and litter. Blight Busters volunteer to help keep their neighborhoods and major thoroughfares:

Clean of graffiti;
Clean of illegal signs;
Clean of litter; and
Clean of shopping carts
Residents who want to get involved can find more details at phoenix.gov/NBHDPGMS/grafbust.html.


Arizona’s Involved in Neighborhoods

Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods (G.A.I.N.) is Arizona's answer to National Night Out, which is held around the country in August. Because of Arizona's 105+ August temperatures, communities statewide decided to observe National Night Out on October 17 and call it G.A.I.N. The events celebrate crime prevention successes achieved through community involvement by Block Watches, apartment complexes, neighborhood groups, parks, businesses, etc. across Phoenix.

Who: Block Watches, apartment complexes, neighborhood groups, parks, businesses, etc.

What: Celebration of the crime prevention successes through community involvement

Where: Local neighborhoods

When: Saturday, October 17

Tips for planning a G.A.I.N. party are available at phoenix.gov/police/gain_tips_2009.pdf.

G.A.I.N. Hyperlink: phoenix.gov/police/gain1.html

Source: P.L.A.N.

Encanto Village Visioning Workshop

Encanto Village Visioning workshops begin on October 5th.

Activity 1 asks Big Question #1:

What do you value most about Phoenix and why?

Please tell us!

Click here for further details.

Source: City of Phoenix

Laws Become Effective Next Week‏

State Fiscal Footing

While the results of the Third Special Session of the State Legislature should allow state government to function until the end of the year, another special session will likely be needed to address the decline in tax revenues to the State. The Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) released an estimate last week suggesting that the current fiscal year deficit is approximately $964 million. Additionally, Governor Brewer is still undeterred in her call for a temporary sales tax referral, now shooting for a March 2010 election.

General Effective Date of New Laws

Only 191 bills were enacted from the First Regular Session compared to 315 in 2008 and 296 in 2007. Once the Governor signs a legislative bill, or allows it to become law without her signature, she transmits the document to the Secretary of State who assigns each a chapter number in the session laws of a legislative session. By the authority of the Arizona Constitution, unless an enactment has an Emergency Clause - making it effective immediately - or a delayed enactment date, it becomes law on the General Effective Date, the 91st day after the Legislature adjourns (sine die). The First Regular Session ended on July 1, 2009, making September 30, 2009, the General Effective date.

Here is some legislation that takes effect at the end of September:

SB 1048: Emergency Telecommunication Services; Administrative Costs (Sen. Linda Gray, R - Glendale) - Chapter 112 was signed by the Governor on July 10, 2009. It increases the percentage of Emergency Telecommunications Services Trust Fund revenues that can be used for administrative costs from 3% to 5%. These dollars are needed to maintain operations of the statewide 911 emergency system. This bill was supported by the City of Phoenix and signed by the Governor on July 10, 2009.

HB 2465: Scrap Metal; Theft; Dealers (Rep. Jerry Weiers, R – Glendale) - Chapter 144 was signed by the Governor on July 13, 2009. This enactment adds to the list of prohibited items (manhole covers, catalytic converters, water meters, etc.) that dealers cannot purchase unless authorized, and increases the penalties for those found guilty of scrap metal theft. The bill also requires dealers to electronically submit transaction records to the Arizona Department of Public Safety and make a database of such records accessible to local law enforcement. This bill was supported by the City of Phoenix and signed by the Governor on July 13, 2009.

SB 1403: Renewable; High-Wage Industries Incentive (Sen. Barbara Leff, R – Paradise Valley) - Chapter 96 provides income tax credits and property tax reclassifications for renewable energy operations for tax years 2010 through 2014. This bill was supported by the City of Phoenix and signed by the Governor on July, 10 2009.

SB 1115: Animals; Fighting (Sen. Jonathan Paton, R – Tucson) - Chapter 151 changes the statutes related to dog fighting to include any fight where the intent is for animals to injure each other. The bill also establishes a class 1 misdemeanor for horse tripping.This bill was supported by the City of Phoenix and signed by the Governor on July 13, 2009.

Source: P.L.A.N.

Time to Get Involved!

After many months of budget wrangling, the State Legislature is out of session. What is an active, engaged P.L.A.N. subscriber like you to do? Don't despair -- this hiatus is a great time to explore the many opportunities to volunteer as a board or commission member for the State or at the local level for the city of Phoenix.

State Board or Commission

The Governor's Office provides an online application for residents to participate on a state board or commission. Currently there are 266 active boards and commissions in Arizona with gubernatorial appointees. These boards cover a wide variety of topics from education to the environment. More information about how to become a member of a state board or commission is available at http://azgovernor.gov/bc/BCinfo.asp.

Phoenix Board or Commission

If service at the local level is more appealing, Phoenix currently has 65 Boards and Commissions, found at http://phoenix.gov/phxd/bdcomm/index.jsp, whose members are appointed by the Mayor and city council members. Learn how to apply to serve on a board or commission at http://phoenix.gov/CITYGOV/bdcomm.html#HOW. An online application is available at http://phoenix.gov/EMAIL/appbdcom.html.

Voter Registration Requirements

The Arizona Secretary of State Web site has a link under to voter information under the "Elections" link. This offers several options including Register to Vote. The key information to note is that voters in Arizona must re-register following a move, a name change or change in political party affiliation. Voters may register online, or print the form, complete and mail.

Here in Arizona, the Secretary of State registers voters. The County Recorder's Office notifies and mails ballots to voters with the exception of local (city of Phoenix) elections which are managed by the Phoenix City Clerk Election Services Division.

Source: P.L.A.N.

Imagine Phoenix in 2050

The city of Phoenix is about to begin a very important project and we need your help. Every ten years Arizona State Law requires cities to update their general plans. The General Plan provides comprehensive direction for the growth, conservation and redevelopment of all physical aspects of the city through goals, policies and recommendations. This document is intended to be both long range and visionary and to provide guidance for actions over a long period of time. This project will be broken into two phases. Phase I - visioning, and Phase II - policy plan development. Phase I will kick off on October 5, 2009 and continue through June, 2010. Phase II will begin in September, 2010 and continue through September, 2011. The plan will be presented to the public for approval at an election in September, 2012.

Visit the Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association calendar page at www.PhoenixCenral.org/Calendar.html for specific workshop dates. The boundaries of the Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association (Indian School to Thomas Roads and 7th Avenue and 3rd Street) is assigned to the Encanto Village. A schedule for all villages can be viewed by visiting www.PhoenixCentral.org/village.pdf.

A different activity will be held each month. At the end of each workshop, more details will be provided regarding the activity for the next workshop. You are encouraged to share this list of meeting dates with your friends and neighbors and ask them to attend. These workshops are open to the public.

At the first workshops in October, you will be asked the question "What do you value most about Phoenix, and why?" To help answer this question, ask yourself how you came to be in Phoenix. Were you born here? Did you move here? What attracted you to Phoenix? What keeps you here? What stands out to you as a special moment, event or feeling during the time you have lived in Phoenix? WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If you are not able to attend a workshop, please emai your response to planphx@phoenix.gov.

THANK YOU!!!

Source: City of Phoenix

Picking Up the Pieces of the FY 2010 State Budget‏

Piecing Together the State Budget Puzzle

On Friday, September 4, the Governor acted on the budget package that was sent to her on August 25 by signing all but one of the remaining bills and vetoing the other, as well as using her line-item veto to restore some funding to K-12 education and certain health services. Because of her vetoes, the budget that's left contains no direct financial cuts to Phoenix; but the package does include a number of real changes impacting city operations, such as impact fee administration and identification checks for certain public services. Government Relations staff will provide an update and more details at the Council Policy Session on September 15. Phoenix Channel 11 broadcasts the recorded Policy Session during the following week. Phoenix City Council Policy meeting agendas, reports and minutes can be found at phoenix.gov/PAGENDAC/index.html.

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), the Legislature's budget analysts, summarized the FY 2010 budget status in the wake of the Governor's September 4th signatures and vetoes and concluded that the State still has a deficit this year of almost $1 billion. Those documents with their analysis are linked below:

9/4 Enacted Budget with Vetoes

Budget Status after September 4 Vetoes (9/8/09)
Budget Veto Impacts (9/9/09)
Budget Legislation Summary (9/9/09)
9/4 Budget Summary with Detailed List of Changes by Agency (9/10/09)
Statement of Revenues and Expenditures with FY 2011 Projection (9/10/09)
Congress Back in Session

Congress returned from a month-long summer recess on Tuesday, September 8. Some of the issues facing Congress this fall include health care (the highly-debated topic during the summer recess), a climate change bill, the FY10 appropriations process, surface transportation funding (authorization), and financial regulation legislation.

Source: P.L.A.N.

Governor Takes Action on Budget Bills‏

Governor Announces Fate of Remaining Budget Bills

Today, Governor Brewer called a press conference announcing that she will veto SB1025 that permanently repealed the county equalization tax. In her veto letter, she notes that "since I am precluded from line item vetoing the tax provisions, I must veto the entire bill." This action will create a net revenue of about $250M toward the state's budget deficit. In HB 2011 (K-12; budget reconciliation) she line-item vetoed $300M in cuts to K-12 to preserve maintenance-of-effort levels required by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

She also noted that she hasn't given up on a sales tax referral and is looking at a March 2010 election as a goal. The Governor believes that her action will allow Arizona to maintain services until January.


HB 2006 – general appropriations - (Governor Brewer signed September 4)
HB 2008 – general government - (Governor Brewer signed September 4)
HB 2009 – assets - (Governor Brewer signed September 4)
HB 2010 – criminal justice - (Governor Brewer signed September 3)
HB 2011 – K-12 - (Governor Brewer signed September 4)
HB 2012 – higher education- (Governor Brewer signed September 4)
HB 2013 – health & welfare- (Governor Brewer signed September 4)
HB 2014 – environment (Governor Brewer signed HB 2014 on August 21)
SB 1025 – general revenues (which includes a $22M vehicle license tax cut, property tax repeal, and assessment ratio changes) - (Governor Brewer vetoed September 4)

Phoenix Legislators Lauded as Friends of Cities & Towns

Here's the list of Phoenix legislators that were named 2009 Champions/Friends of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns this week. This recognition is given to those that support city issues at the state legislature. The City of Phoenix congratulates them on winning this accolade!


Champions: Friends:

Sen. John Nelson Sen. Jack Harper
Sen. Rebecca Rios Sen. Barbara Leff
Rep. Chad Campbell Sen. Debbie McCune Davis
Rep. Adam Driggs Rep. Tom Boone
Rep. Martha Garcia
Rep. David Lujan
Rep. Eric Meyer
Rep. Kyrsten Sinema
Rep. Anna Tovar

Source: P.L.A.N.

Budget Chess Game‏

Governor On The Clock

On Tuesday, legislators adjourned the Third Special Session sine die, having delivered a package of budget bills to the Governor minus her temporary sales tax increase. Governor Brewer has until September 5 to sign, veto, or allow the bills to be enacted without her signature. It is unclear what she will do. Meetings continue with legislative leaders from both parties with the hope of finding the votes for a tax ballot measure in December.

Should the Governor sign this budget, the impact to Phoenix would include:

$22 million shift of vehicle license tax (VLT) revenues to school districts (Phoenix would lose between $5 and 6 million);
identification checks for any public service that Phoenix provides;
reduction of the assessment ratio for commercial property tax (impacting Phoenix's secondary property tax levy by approximately $14 million/year); and
2-year freeze on impact fees, building codes and construction sales taxes.
The Governor could also use the line-item veto as she did in previous budget bills this year or sign just a few of the nine bills in the package and call a fourth special session to complete the budget puzzle. Governor Brewer has been adamant in her request for a voter referral for the one-cent temporary sales tax, and the Legislature has not complied. Her request is for a sales tax increase that would last three years and cost taxpayers a penny for the first two years, a half-penny for the third. A state Department of Revenue analysis estimates a one-cent-per-dollar increase in the tax would generate $983.9 million a year, assuming the state does not share the new proceeds with cities, towns and counties as it ordinarily would. Although the state can backfill some of its current shortfall with federal stimulus dollars, that strategy cannot overcome the anticipated deficits in the coming years.

Speaking of the Budget . . .

Last week, Senate President Bob Burns (R - Glendale) established a commission "to streamline state agencies' organization, operation and costs . . " Senator Thayer Verschoor (R - Gilbert) heads the Arizona Budget Commission (ABC) which is expected to meet through 2010. To learn more, read the Senate news release or the August 21 article Arizona Budget Commission to seek out government waste that appeared on ABC15.com. Click here to see the video.

New Senate President Pro Tempore Appointed

Also this week, Senate President Burns appointed Senator Barbara Leff (R - Paradise Valley) to the position of Senate President Pro Tempore. The "pro tem" serves as the presiding officer when President Burns is not available. She is the third Senator appointed to the position since the Legislature began meeting last January. Initially, Senator Thayer Verschoor (R - Gilbert) was appointed and then replaced at the end of the first regular session by Senator Steve Pierce (R - Prescott).

R U On Twitter?

Yesterday, Government Relations tweeted the message that "Phoenix partners with West Valley communities to support Luke AFB – show your support by registering at www.lukeforward.com." The U.S. Air Force is beginning the process of selecting a new base for the F-35 Lightning II. If you support Luke Air Force Base and the work they do, visit www.lukeforward.com and read more about how you can help.

Source: P.L.A.N.

P.L.A.N. Update - Budget Hot Potato Tossed to Brewer‏

Legislature Delivers Budget Bills

After almost seven weeks in this Special Session, on Thursday the Legislature transmitted the nine-bill 2009-2010 budget package to the Governor without the provision to send a temporary sales tax referral to the voters. This package of budget bills is very similar to the one that was vetoed on July 1, and includes a permanent repeal of the statewide property equalization tax. Because the counties must finalize their property tax bills this week (or is it next week?), there is urgency as the Governor considers her course of action.

This morning Governor Brewer signed HB 2014, Environment; Budget Reconciliation. She reportedly is putting off until next week any action on the remainder of the package. HB 2014 is important to Phoenix because it removes a requirement for a bond election for the City's Water Services Department to access about $6 million in federal stimulus dollars for water and sewer projects financed through the State's Water Infrastructure Finance Authority.

The House and Senate are adjourned until 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25.

Bills conveyed to the Governor include:

HB 2006 – general appropriations
HB 2008 – general government
HB 2009 – assets
HB 2010 – criminal justice
HB 2011 – K-12
HB 2012 – higher education
HB 2013 – health & welfare
HB 2014 – environment (Governor Brewer signed HB 2014 this morning)
SB 1025 – general revenues (which includes a $22M vehicle license tax cut, property tax repeal, and assessment ratio changes)

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) the budget analysts for the Legislature, have posted the following the following budget bill details:

8/20 Plan as Transmitted to the Governor
Summary of House and Senate Budget Plan (8/20/09)
Budget Legislation Summary (8/20/09)

How Long Can This Go On?

The Arizona Legislative Manual states there is no limit on the duration of a special session. Since the Legislature did not pass the temporary sales tax referral requested by Governor Brewer, her response to the remaining budget bills will determine next steps.

Concerns for Cities and Towns

As reported in last week's message, the budget bills still contain items of concern to the City, including: a $22 million shift of vehicle license tax (VLT) revenues to school districts (Phoenix would lose between $5 and 6 million); 2-year freeze on impact fees, building codes and construction sales taxes; identification checks for public services, and reduction of the assessment ratio for commercial property tax (impacting Phoenix's secondary property tax levy by approximately $14 million/year). The package does not include the proposed corporate and individual income tax cuts that could have reduced revenue sharing for Phoenix by approximately $18 million/year as of FY 2014.

Source: P.L.A.N.

Budget Stalemate‏

Fits and Starts

The Senate took another stab at passing a package of budget bills on Wednesday afternoon. First up was HB 2015 -- a bill containing the controversial temporary sales tax ballot referral, an income tax reduction, and other tax items -- which was defeated by a vote of 14 – 11, two votes shy of the required 16 votes needed for passage. Interestingly, before the vote HB 2015 was amended to remove the ballot question that would ask voters to suspend previously-voter-approved spending mandates for education, health care and other popular items. Legislative leaders expected that the change would attract the needed 16th vote. Failing that, soon after, the Senate voted on SB 1029 --a bill containing a the same tax items, but this time including the ballot measure to suspend voter-approved spending requirements, with the hope that this approach would be more acceptable to members. That bill fell one vote shy of passage (15 – 10), killing all hope for the Governor and others for a November 3 election on the temporary sales tax question. The Senate proceeded to adopt the rest of the budget bills, effectively adopting a budget package that closely resembles the one passed by the Legislature on June 30 and vetoed by the Governor on July 1.

While the Senate was considering the budget bills, President Bob Burns (R - Glendale) called for suspension of the Senate Rules in order to call the Senate into "Sit COW" which is Capitol slang for "sitting as in Committee of the Whole," to consider and amend SB1025 on a controversial property tax issue. A process that doesn't happen very often, the Arizona Legislative Manual defines Sit COW as "a proceeding by which a house may conduct business as if it were in Committee of the Whole. Typically used to adopt minor technical corrections to bills that have already passed out of Committee of the Whole."

On Thursday, Sen. Jim Waring (R -Phoenix) made a motion to reconsider HB 2015, the sales tax referral, which failed on Wednesday. This motion passed on an 11-6 voice vote, which allows the bill to be reconsidered on a future Third Read calendar. Both chambers are adjourned until Monday, August 17 at 1:00 p.m.

Concerns for Cities and Towns

The budget bills still contain items of concern to the City, including: a $22 million shift of vehicle license tax (VLT) revenues to school districts (Phoenix impact between $5 and 6 million); 2-year freeze on impact fees, building codes and construction sales taxes; identification checks for public services, and reduction of the assessment ratio for commercial property tax (impacting Phoenix's secondary property tax levy by approximately $14 million/year). The package does include a permanent repeal of the state equalization property tax, but unless HB 2015 is resurrected does not include the corporate and individual income tax cuts proposed in the last two weeks. As presented, those income tax cuts could have reduced revenue sharing for Phoenix by approximately $18 million/year as of FY 2014.

Source: P.L.A.N.

Good Communications – Good Management

I’m disappointed in the way business is conducted these days. I’m disappointed in the way the Democratic Party is managed these days. I’ve always felt that managers should begin at the bottom and work their way up. This is the traditional American way.

With the coming of WWII, most managers were drafted into the armed forces. But academia came galloping to the rescue!

Anyone can be a manager, we can teach them management theory and, then, all that’s needed is to ask the right questions. But knowing the right questions comes only with experience. Modern managers think they know all the answers, but they don’t know the questions. When one of our legislators has a question, she/he contacts a lobbyist. This is a bad practice that should be ended. Where should they go for information?

When I went to school, every business curriculum included one or more classes on “Communications Theory”. Proper communications involved the “communication loop”.

Communication started at the top and worked its way down through the organizational chart. But that’s not a loop. The other half started at the bottom and worked its way to the top. That’s the part that is missing today.

State/county chairs are usually selected based on their ability to raise money for the party. I know that is an important function but it should be handled by a designated financial officer. There are plenty of other chores for the chair to do.
Have you ever tried to communicate info to the Party? The correct path is: PC, district chair, county chair, state chair and, finally, national. Then our leadership would know how its membership felt about health care and a host of other problems.

Source: Rod - The Independent Voice

State Senate in the Summertime

The Senate convened on Tuesday afternoon with the hope of voting on the FY 2010 budget that seeks to close an approximate $3 billion deficit. Since several Senators were out of town and three key GOP members – Senator Carolyn Allen (R-Scottsdale), Senator Ron Gould (R-Lake Havasu), and Senator Pamela Gorman (R-Anthem) – were not going to support the budget proposal, President Bob Burns (R-Peoria) gaveled the chamber into recess until 1 p.m. on Friday, August 7. The pressure to approve a budget continues to grow since the Secretary of State’s Office has declared Monday, August 10 as the last day the legislature can refer the temporary sales tax question to voters for a November election.

The State Senate is still working to corral enough members to pass a budget. This afternoon the Senate convened to pray and pledge before adjourning until 1 p.m. on Monday, August 10. Before recessing, two new budget bills were assigned to the Appropriations Committee. This may signal that a new budget deal is in the works

The July 31, 2009 Budget Legislation Summary as approved by the House is available on the State Joint Legislative Budget Committee website at http://www.azleg.gov/jlbc/what'snew.htm.

Source: P.L.A.N.

AFP Arizona Describes Pending Tax Deal as a “Mixed Bag”

The Arizona chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP Arizona) today described the pending tax and budget deal between Gov. Jan Brewer and the Arizona Legislature as a difficult trade-off, and congratulated members of the legislative majority for their hard work.

“The proposed deal is a mixed bag,” said AFP Arizona director Tom Jenney, adding that “the failure of the Legislature to arrive at a deal might still be the best outcome.”

If the Arizona Legislature can muster the majorities needed to pass a deal outlined last week, it would send a three-year sales tax increase to the ballot this November for voter approval, but would offset that tax hike over five years with the repeal of a state property tax and with reductions to the rates of personal and corporate income taxes.

Under the terms of the proposed deal, the Legislature would also refer to voters in November a temporary spending limit and a reform that would allow legislators to make reductions in areas of the budget that are currently protected from cuts by voter mandates.

Uncertainties surround the proposed deal. The referendum on the sales tax hike, which AFP Arizona calls the “Brewer Tax,” could fail at the ballot—as could the two reform referenda. Further, it is possible that the Governor and a majority of members of the Legislature could rescind the income tax cuts during the 2010 legislative session, if they wanted more revenue.

Observers are also unsure what would happen if the proposed deal fails to achieve the needed legislative majorities for passage.

For AFP Arizona, the best-case scenario would be one in which no tax increases are enacted, the state cannot borrow money to prop up spending, and the state cannot find more than a billion dollars in proceeds from asset sales and sale-leaseback schemes. In that case, the Legislature and Governor could end up having to cut an additional $1.5 billion out of the state’s General Fund budget for the coming fiscal year—for a total reduction in spending of approximately 25 percent off the FY 2009 peak.

The taxpayer group argued that spending reductions on that scale would force the state to eliminate waste in all public services and to make fundamental reforms to Arizona’s inefficient and ineffective K-12 public education system. “The sooner we get started with budget reductions,” Jenney said, “the easier it will be.”

AFP Arizona congratulated conservative stalwarts in the Legislature, such as Senators Ron Gould (R-Mohave County) and Pamela Gorman (R-North/Central Phoenix), and Representatives Andy Biggs (R-Gilbert) and Sam Crump (R-North/Central Phoenix), who have so far held out against the deal.

Other legislators fear that without the proposed deal, Gov. Brewer might be able to assemble an ad hoc majority of Democrats and marginal Republicans to refer to the ballot an even worse tax hike package. Those members have thus concluded that the best alternative is to add fiscally conservative reforms to the package in an attempt to offset the damaging effects of the Governor’s tax proposal.

“Legislative leaders and members of the Republican majority have worked very hard to neutralize the negative impact of the Brewer Tax with pro-growth income and property tax cuts,” Jenney said. Using the details about the deal that were available on Friday, the group rated the proposed deal as being close to a break-even proposition for the purpose of scoring legislators on its 2009 Legislative Scorecard.

AFP Arizona also laid the blame for the session’s prolonged tax and budget debacle squarely at the feet of Gov. Brewer. “Brewer’s insistence on referring a sales tax increase to voters has been a terrible mistake, as a matter of policy, and as a matter of politics,” said Jenney. According to AFP Arizona, Brewer should face the reality that the state needs to reduce baseline spending, and work with the Legislature to correct the wasteful excesses of the Napolitano era.

AFP Arizona also expressed its gratitude to the 14 members of the Arizona Senate who voted on June 22 to refer to the 2010 ballot a reduction in the state’s constitutional spending limit, and expressed its great disappointment that a similar bill was never brought to a floor vote in the House. The proposed reform would reduce the state’s existing constitutional spending limit from 7.41 percent to 6.4 percent of state personal income—low enough to prevent the budgetary excesses in FY 2007 that helped to push the state into its current deficit crisis.

Source: Tom Jenney

State Budget Stymied in the Senate‏

The state legislature worked through Thursday night and into Friday morning with the goal of adopting a budget that would address the state’s estimated budget shortfall of approximately $3.2 billion. The budget being considered this week was nearly identical to the vetoed package from July 1, except for the inclusion of both a temporary sales tax increase and a delayed income tax reduction.

By 2:15 a.m. on Friday morning, the House approved a budget package acceptable to the Governor and the legislative leadership. The following terms of the budget impact cities and towns:

a $22 million vehicle license tax fund shift (a $5-6 million reduction to Phoenix revenues)

a gradual decrease in the assessment ratio for commercial property from 20% to 16% beginning in 2012, which may lead to an increase in residential property taxes

a two-year freeze on impact fees

a two-year building code moratorium

a temporary sales tax increase (1-cent in 2010, 2011, 0.5-cent in 2012)

a delayed income tax reduction of $400 million ($200 corporate/$200 personal). The income tax cuts would result in loss of shared revenues to cities and town.

When the budget bills passed the House, the Senate moved swiftly to follow suit. After the bills were approved in the Senate Committee of the Whole and ready to have their final vote, Senate action came to an abrupt halt without the necessary votes to pass the budget package. This unexpected turn of events led Senate President Bob Burns (R - Peoria) to stop activity by suspending Floor action at 4:30 a.m.

The Senate will reconvene at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4. It is unclear as of this writing whether there are sufficient votes to approve this budget package. To watch live proceedings on Tuesday, go to http://azleg.granicus.com/Mediaplayer.php?publish_id=5.

Stay tuned . . .

Source: P.L.A.N.

City of Phoenix Council Election (District 4)

Phoenix Central Neighborhood Association's geographical boundaries include polling locations 4-F and 4-G. Please see map at http://www.PhoenixCentral.org/election.pdf for details on the September 1, 2009 election.

Source: City of Phoenix

Dog Days at the Legislature‏

Friday marks the 19th day of the legislative special session. Republican and Democratic leaders continue to meet on how to address an estimated $2-3 billion deficit in the current fiscal year. It has been difficult for the legislature to find a quorum since many members are traveling to conferences or on vacation. We expect budget activity to pick up in August. The Governor has not participated in these recent meetings. Her budget proposal of a temporary one-cent sales tax increase is a sticking point for legislators. Alternative revenue options are also being discussed, such as broadening the sales tax base.

2009 End of Session Report

To describe the session as unusual is an understatement. This week, Government Relations submitted a 2009 End of Session Report to the Mayor and Council. This 24-page summary begins with highlights of how the City fared under the City Council's approved core principles: fiscal sustainability and local authority. The document enumerates the bills on which the Mayor and Council adopted positions and covers the city's legislative agenda, new laws and bills not enacted of those bills.

Bills of Interest - The Rest of the Story

HB 2465: Scrap Metal; Theft; Dealers (Rep. Jerry Weiers, R – Glendale) adds to the list of prohibited items (manhole covers, catalytic converters, water meters, etc.) that scrap metal dealers cannot purchase unless authorized. The bill also requires dealers to electronically submit transaction records to the Arizona Department of Public Safety and make a database of such records accessible to local law enforcement. Phoenix supports this bill. Governor Brewer signed this bill and it became Chapter 0144. It becomes effective on the General Effective Date - September 30, 2009.

HB 2530: Reckless Driving; Prior Convictions (Rep. Cecil Ash, R – Mesa) establishes enhanced sentencing for reckless driving offenders with prior reckless driving violations. Phoenix supports this bill. Governor Brewer signed this bill and it became Chapter 0121. It becomes effective on the General Effective Date - September 30, 2009.

SB 1048: Emergency Telecommunication Services; Administrative Costs (Sen. Linda Gray, R – Glendale) shifts the percentage of Emergency Telecommunications Services Trust Fund revenues that can be used for administrative costs from 3% to 5%. Phoenix supports this bill because these dollars are needed to maintain operations of the statewide 911 emergency system. Governor Brewer signed this bill and it became Chapter 0112. It becomes effective on the General Effective Date - September 30, 2009.

HB 2336: Community Facilities Districts; Renewable Energy (Rep. Lucy Mason, R- Prescott) permits a county board of supervisors to establish renewable energy incentive districts. Phoenix supports this bill in its commitment to protecting the environment and providing a sustainable future for city residents. Governor Brewer signed this bill and it became Chapter 0086. It becomes effective on the General Effective Date - September 30, 2009.

Scorebox
1st Regular Session 3rd Special Session
213 - Bills Passed 24 - Bills Posted
22 - Bills Vetoed 4 - Bills Passed

Our city's budget for the current fiscal year (July 2009-June 2010) was adopted in February and includes difficult cuts that impact services in our community. Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Link to the P.L.A.N.

It's Not Over Yet‏

Third Special Session This Year

Late afternoon on July 6, the Legislature convened its Third Special Session which was called last week by Governor Brewer to consider two issues: (1) FY10 budget adjustments, and (2) imposition of a temporary tax to raise revenue for education, health and human services, and public safety expenditures. Four bills were introduced related to the first issue of the session call and passed both bodies with overwhelming, bipartisan support. No bills were introduced regarding the second issue of the session call, nor was there any debate of that issue. After passage of these bills, the legislature adjourned until next Monday, July 13.

Wednesday afternoon Governor Brewer signed all four of the budget bills that were passed by the Legislature on Monday. These bills addressed the funds needed for a scheduled July 15 payment to schools, K-12 education, health and welfare, and payments to the legislature for the days they record attendance in the Third Special Session.

HB2001 education; appropriations; 2009-2010

HB2002 K-12 education; budget reconciliation

HB2003 health and welfare; budget reconciliation

HB2004 legislative subsistence payments; exception

In other news, the Legislature has petitioned the Arizona Supreme Court for reconsideration of its ruling earlier this month in Brewer v. Burns regarding transmittal of bills.

Tick Tock

July 14 is the last day the Governor has to act on each of the 212 pieces of legislation on her desk. Her options are to sign, veto or allow a bill to become law without her signature. On Tuesday, Phoenix delivered letters to the Governor requesting that she veto four bills that impact the City -- SB 1123, a measure that attempts to elevate elections in charter cities as a matter of statewide concern; HB 2258, permitting the sale of fireworks; SB 1022, prohibiting removal of political signs in the right-of-way; and SB 1169, a proposal that preempts cities from collecting impoundment fees for abandoned vehicles from towing companies.

As of July 10, the Governor has signed a total of 70 bills. Among those receiving approval were:

SB 1322: Unemployment Insurance; Benefits (Sen. Barbara Leff, R – Paradise Valley) is an emergency measure that temporarily provides 13 to 20 weeks of additional unemployment benefits to workers who exhaust their regular benefits in a time of high unemployment. There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund. This bill was signed by the Governor on 4/24/09 and with the Emergency Clause, became effective the same day.

SB 1323: Emergency Mutual Aid Agreements (Sen. Barbara Leff, R – Paradise Valley) allows government entities to enter into mutual aid agreements with private water and wastewater companies. This bill was signed by the Governor on 7/9/09 and becomes effective on 9/30/09, the General Effective Date.

Other bills of interest awaiting the Governor's decision include:

HB 2336: Community Facilities Districts; Renewable Energy (Rep. Lucy Mason, R- Prescott) permits a county board of supervisors to establish renewable energy incentive districts. Phoenix supports this bill.

HB 2465: Scrap Metal; Theft; Dealers (Rep. Jerry Weiers, R – Glendale) adds to the list of prohibited items (manhole covers, catalytic converters, water meters, etc.) that scrap metal dealers cannot purchase unless authorized. The bill also requires dealers to electronically submit transaction records to the Arizona Department of Public Safety and make a database of such records accessible to local law enforcement. Phoenix supports this bill.

HB 2530: Reckless Driving; Prior Convictions (Rep. Cecil Ash, R – Mesa) establishes enhanced sentencing for reckless driving offenders with prior reckless driving violations. Phoenix supports this bill.

SB 1048: Emergency Telecommunication Services; Administrative Costs (Sen. Linda Gray, R – Glendale) increases the percentage of Emergency Telecommunications Services Trust Fund revenues that can be used for administrative costs from 3% to 5%. These dollars are needed to maintain operations of the statewide 911 emergency system. Phoenix supports this bill.

Scorebox

1st Regular Session 3rd Special Session
212 - Bills Passed 22 - Bills Posted
16 - Bills Vetoed 4 - Bills Passed
70 - Bills Signed 4 - Bills Signed

Our city's budget for next fiscal year (July 2009-June 2010) was adopted in February and includes difficult cuts that impact services in our community. Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Source: P.L.A.N.

Dumb and Dumber

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jan Brewer - Two Idiots

As soon as Schwarzenegger was elected governor, I speculated on how long it would take him to bankrupt California. As soon as the Republican legislature spent the “rainy day fund” I speculated on how long it would take them to bankrupt Arizona. Now I know.

Source: Rod, The Independent Voice

PROFILING: STATISTICAL ANALYSES

Our Maricopa sheriff could learn from a math professor at the Univ. of Texas who mathematically proves that choosing people to screen based on ethnicity is no more effective than random checks. [Scientific American, April 2009] Because those who are legal vastly outnumber those who are illegal, the optimal way to screen would be to use the “square-root-biased sampling.” That is because a legal Latino would be screened many times before an illegal would be found. Therefore, because it has been proved mathematically and because it would be more cost effective, Dr. William Press states, the sensible method is not to profile at all. See his study in the February 10, 2009 Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA.

Source: FS, The Independent Voice

Governor Calls for Special Session on the Heels of Sine Die‏

Sine Die! Special Session! Governor Gets The Last Word, For Now

After 170 days (fourth longest session in Arizona history), the Legislature adjourned Sine Die at 7:31 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1. The budget bills and "trailer" amendments, along with a number of other bills, were transmitted to Governor Brewer before the last gavel. She promised a quick response, and delivered. Just hours later, Governor Brewer executed line-item vetoes and signed both SB 1188: 2009-2010 General Appropriations Act, and SB 2643, the "trailer" bill making revisions to SB 1188. These two bills keep state government up and running for the time being.

The rest of the budget package was vetoed including the following budget reconciliation bills (BRBs):

1029 BRB; higher education
2649 BRB; higher education
1031 BRB; state assets
2646 BRB state properties trailer
1035 BRB; general government
2645 BRB; general government trailer
1036 BRB; general revenues
2644 BRB; general revenues trailer
1145 BRB; health & welfare
2650 BRB; health & welfare trailer
1187 BRB; K-12 education
2648 BRB; K-12 education trailer
1028 BRB; criminal justice
2647 BRB; criminal justice trailer

At the same time, the Governor called for a Special Session to begin at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 6 with the following subjects:

1. The adjustments necessary to address the state budget for the entire fiscal year 2009-2010.

2. Imposition of a temporary tax for the purpose of raising state revenues for primary and secondary education, health and human services and public safety expenditures.

Governor Brewer's letters to Secretary of State Ken Bennett, Senate President Bob Burns, and House Speaker Kirk Adams describing her actions are available under "Latest News" on the Governor's webpage at azgovernor.gov. Her proclamation calling the Legislature to a Special Session is also available there. Arizona's Constitution specifies that in a special session the only laws that can be enacted are those related to the subjects in the Governor's call for special session.

Ten Days to Review Approximately 200 Bills

Approximately 200 other pieces of legislation were transmitted to the Governor for her consideration. From July 1, she will have 10 days to sign, veto, or allow those bills to become law without her signature. Once that is sorted out we will share the results of the session legislation and the impact on neighborhoods.

Scorebox

3 - Number of Special Sessions
212 - Bills Passed
15 - Bills Vetoed
12 - Bills Signed

Our city's budget for next fiscal year (July 2009-June 2010) was adopted in February and includes difficult cuts that impact services in our community. Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Source: P.L.A.N.

P.L.A.N. Update - Sine Die In Sight?‏

Today marks the 166th day of the Legislative Session, eight days shy of the record set in 1988 (173 days). Since the Legislature completed the budget (although they have yet to transmit those bills to the Governor), members in the House and Senate have considered hundreds of bills on long committee agendas in a short amount of time. Legislators appear to be racing toward adjournment -- Sine Die! (Latin for "without a day").

It is likely that the Legislature will adjourn at some point next week, before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. However, at this point, the budget is still not a done deal. The House Appropriations Committee Agenda is posted for 9 a.m. on June 27 (Saturday). It includes 10 "trailer" bills and one House Concurrent Resolution, HCR 2037, that if adopted will send the temporary 1% sales tax question to the ballot for a statewide vote; which is included in the Governor's Five Point Plan. The "trailer" bills contain the changes to the original budget bills passed by the Legislature that bridge the sticking points in the negotiations, eliminating the need for the Governor to wield her veto stamp.

Disposition of Bills

As of this submittal, 59 non-budget bills have passed both legislative chambers, none of which have yet been sent to the Governor. When the Legislature adjourns, Governor Brewer will have 10 days to consider the flood of bills that will hit her desk. It has indeed been an unusual year!

Our city's budget for next fiscal year (July 2009-June 2010) was adopted in February and includes difficult cuts that impact services in our community. Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Source: P.L.A.N.

Super (Dog-Eat-Dog) Capitalism‏

Some years ago, when the administration was first giving the green light to corporate mergers, some writers speculated on the corporations expanding until they became bigger than the country. With no restrictions on growth, we could end up with a worldwide dictatorship under some kind of corporate coalition. How far have we progressed along the path?

Once elected, the primary concern of the legislator is not with the people or the country; it is reelection. Every Democrat in the state can write a letter to Senator Kyl but he will not notice because he knows that no Democrat will vote for him regardless of how he votes in Congress. The only communications any legislator considers are those from voters who, previously at least, supported, and voted, for her/him.

Today, elections are won with money and a few “dirty tricks” thrown in. Corporations have billions of dollars to invest in elections. This money can be spent to help a candidate be elected or to help make sure he don’t. How many legislators have the courage to resist this kind of pressure?

Can Obama afford to take a stand in favor of “single-payer” against the insurance establishment? The last two politicians who tried to make a major change in the direction the country was headed were John and Robert Kennedy.

Source: Rod - The Independent Voice

P.L.A.N. Update - Blizzard of Bills‏

Here we are -- day 159 of the legislative session; June 30 (the last day of the fiscal year) just 11 days away. The Senate, having waited to work on "non-budget" bills until a budget had been passed, now is working late and on Fridays to consider an avalanche of bills. In this rush to deal with the huge backlog of bills, it's very hard to follow the issues. Citizens have a limited opportunity to share their views and impact the process, so mistakes will happen. As happened last session, some good bills will certainly fall through the cracks. Even more worrisome, some bad bills will pass because there wasn't an opportunity to thoroughly study and understand them.

Bills of Interest

Here are bills you may find of interest that are moving through the legislative process.

On Monday afternoon, the Senate Natural Resources, Infrastructure and Public Debt Committee are expected to vote on several measures dealing with State Trust Land Reform (HCR 2030 and SB 1077). Although the bill language is not yet available, it is an important issue. State trust land measures have been voted on numerous times by Arizona’s voters. Many are wondering if this measure will move forward given this unusual legislative session.

HB 2269: Landlords; Tenants; Foreclosures (Rep. Sam Crump, R – Anthem) requires contact information from entities that acquire properties through foreclosure to be disclosed in the property deed. Also, tenants of rental properties must be contacted prior to a trustee sale. This bill passed Third Read in the House 41 – 14 and now awaits a hearing in the Senate Government Institutions Committee. Phoenix supports this bill.

HB 2431: Vicious Animal Assault; Classification (Rep. Steve Montenegro, R – Litchfield Park) establishes a class 3 felony on persons that intentionally or knowingly cause a dog to bite or inflict serious injury upon another person. This bill passed the House Committee of the Whole and now awaits a Third Read vote in the House.

HB 2465: Scrap Metal; Theft; Dealers (Rep. Jerry Weiers, R – Glendale) increases the list of prohibited items (catalytic converters, water meters, manhole covers, etc.) that dealers cannot purchase unless authorized. The bill also requires dealers to electronically submit transaction records to the Arizona Department of Public Safety and make a database of such records accessible to local law enforcement. HB 2465 passed Third Read in the House 46 – 5 and now awaits a hearing in the Senate Commerce and Economic Development Committee. Phoenix supports this bill.

HB 2258: Consumer Fireworks; Novelties; Sales (Rep. Andy Biggs, R – Gilbert) allows for the sale of “consumer fireworks” and “novelties” by dealers licensed by the state fire marshal. Licensing revenues would go into a new fund and used for enforcement of the regulations required by the bill. Staff is concerned with the fire safety and preemption aspects of the bill. HB 2258 passed the House by a vote of 34 – 21 and now awaits a hearing in the Senate Government Institutions Committee.

The budget showdown between the Governor and legislative leaders took an unprecedented turn this week when Governor Brewer requested that the Arizona Supreme Court force transmittal of the 10-bill budget package passed by the legislature to her office. Lawyers representing both sides will present their arguments to the court at 10 a.m. on June 23. In the meantime, both legislative leaders and the Governor are collecting information and developing a plan for a government shut-down in case a budget is not in place by June 30.

Our city's budget for next fiscal year (July 2009-June 2010) was adopted in February and includes difficult cuts that impact services in our community. Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Source: P.L.A.N.

P.L.A.N. Update - Bad Budget Exposed!‏

Digging into the Bad Budget Details

After a painful two-day marathon, the legislature approved a state budget on June 4. However, President Bob Burns (R – Peoria) and Speaker Kirk Adams (R – Mesa) did not immediately transmit the 10-bill budget package to Governor Jan Brewer, explaining that they are holding the bills in order to continue negotiations with her. The Governor has repeatedly stated that she will oppose budget bills that contain policy measures; she also has said that she would oppose a budget that does not include new revenues to address a FY 2010 shortfall that her office now estimates at $4 billion. This is the big sticking point -- in the budget proposal the Governor released on June 1, a temporary one-percent sales tax increase would provide approximately $1 billion toward that shortfall. Governor Brewer is adamant that any budget proposal transmitted to her needs to include it.

The legislative budget would take a chunk of vehicle license tax money from cities all over the state; the impact to Phoenix's budget would be about $11.8 million. This comes on top of $156 million in program cuts already made this year. A separate report is attached that details the most likely reductions in city programs that would result from that loss of general fund revenue. In a nutshell, because of the cuts already made, if this budget is enacted Phoenix would be forced to consider significant cuts in our public safety departments - the biggest cut is $5 million for our Phoenix Police Department -- the equivalent of 50 sworn officers.

Other harmful items in the legislative budget include:

Property tax assessment ratios are changed, significantly impacting the City’s current and future bond programs and likely shifting tax burden from business property owners to residential homeowners;

Cities cannot assess any impact fees for three years, shifting the costs of new development to homeowners in established areas;

Future impact fees could not be used for important infrastructure elements such as parks, recreation facilities, open space, historic preservation sites, park-and-ride parking lots, or other similar facilities; Cities cannot update their building codes for three years, thwarting efforts to increase safety and energy efficiency in new buildings; and

Authority and funding to proceed with expansion of the downtown Phoenix medical school is eliminated, doing nothing to address our state's shortage of medical doctors.

Which Legislators Support This Budget?

These Phoenix legislators voted YES on this damaging budget. Write or call them and ask why.

Source: P.L.A.N.

We have to TAKE ACTION NOW to stop a gigantic tax increase.

Last week, the public learned that Governor Jan Brewer’s unofficial adviser, political consultant Chuck Coughlin of HighGround, has put together a coalition of corporate-welfare interest groups (“Building a Better Arizona”) to fund a $225,000 campaign to buy radio, newspaper, e-mail, telephone and ground-mail advertisements, to try to fool the public into believing that Arizona needs a tax increase, and that your hard-working legislators are mean-spirited ideologues bent on passage of “draconian” budget cuts.

Right now, these corporate-welfare interests--and the government employee unions--are pressuring your legislators to pass a budget that includes tax increases. If they can’t get the Republican majority to do it, they will try to form a new majority by teaming up with Democrats and a small handful of big-spending Republicans. That kind of Big Spender coalition has come together before: Former Gov. Janet Napolitano used that kind of coalition to pass a gigantic budget increase in 2004, and to pass a massively unbalanced budget in 2008.

If the spending interests are successful, the state would have to spend millions of dollars to put on a special election—for the purpose of raising your taxes! Governor Brewer’s latest proposal would mean raising the average Arizona household’s sales and property taxes by $1,600 over the next four years. The tax hike would go into effect at the worst possible time: during a recession, when families and businesses are suffering.

But Arizona does NOT need a tax increase to get through the current budget deficit crisis.

A tax increase in Arizona would be a defeat for conservatives around the country, as they struggle against Big Government in the Age of Obama. In the minds of conservatives around the country, Arizona is still a conservative state, with a GOP governor and legislature.

We need to stand up now and serve the country as an example of how to manage a budget deficit crisis that was caused by massive overspending. We need to do it by reducing spending. Please contact your legislators TODAY, and encourage them to hold the line against tax hikes.

Source:

Tom Jenney
Americans for Properity

NAPOLITANO SCOLDED FOR DOING HER JOB !

Every conservative voice on record jumped all over the Homeland Security Secretary for revealing the truth. That truth came out in July 2008 with a Federal Bureau of Investigation report “White Supremacist Recruitment of Military Personnel since 9/11.” Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Cherloff may or may not have released the information contained in that report to police departments all over the U.S. Napolitano wanted to make sure the police in Buckeye, Mesa, Tempe, and every other departments in Arizona and nationwide were alerted.

The Report reveals that military experience is found throughout the white supremacist extremist movement, and that these groups “have attempted to increase their recruitment of current and former U.S. military personnel." This is substantiated according to the Southern Poverty Law Center: “Many white supremacists over the years have pushed their followers to join the military and enter … the special forces…where you will learn the skills necessary to fight the coming race war.” The Center also reported that there are 19 groups of extremists active in Arizona ?AZ Republic, 4/25/09?; many are here in the Valley. Some of us can testify to that who have walked in the Martin Luther King, Jr. marches, with "Skinhead escorts". Fortunately so far only a small number of veterans are in hate groups: 58 in the National Alliance, 46 in select skinhead groups, 44 in the National Socialist Movement, 20 in the Ku Klux Klan, and fewer numbers in other groups. (see: 7 July 2008, F.B.I. Report, Counterterrorism Division; NY Times,4/18/09)

I believe police departments need to know about such FBI reports so they can take appropriate action if called for. Not everyone agrees. Randy Pullen, chairman of the Republican Party in Arizona criticized Napolitano, “She has little understanding of the security issues facing our country.…” Representative Michael Burgess, R-Texas, called for her to step down from the Cabinet. Rep. John Shadegg demanded Napolitano explain how the intelligence report appeared to classify conservatives as potential terrorists. Where were they when the FBI report came out under the Bush Administration? - Probably it was un-noticed, unread, or not distributed, another Bush administration secret?

The Rand Corporation on April 17, 2008 released a major research report on returning Iraq-Afghanistan veterans. Nearly 20% of military service members who have returned report "symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment...." In the first analysis of its kind, researchers at Rand estimate that PTSD and depression among returning service members will cost the nation as much as $6.2 billion in the two years following deployment. "There is a major health crisis facing those men and women who have served our nation...," said researcher Terri Tanielian. "There will be long-term consequences for them and for the nation..Unfortunately, we [Rand] found there are many barriers preventing them from getting the high-quality treatment they need." [and deserve! - FS] The full report, titled "Invisible Wounds of War," is available at http://veterans.rand.org/.

REMEMBER April 19th, 1995? An honorably discharged Army veteran with ties to a right-wing paramilitary group caused the deaths of 168 people in the horrific Oklahoma City bombing. –

Source: FS - The Independent Voice

SENATOR KYL DOESN’T FORGET HIS FRIENDS !

Just to prove it, he has introduced a bill in the Senate to deeply cut the inheritance taxes for all you working stiffs who have to pay when a relative (those plumbers, teachers, carpenters, etc.) dies.

The existing federal estate tax levies a 45% on those deceased couples with property worth more than $7 million. That means in 2008 only 0.2 percent of all estates had to pay even a penny estate tax. Kyl is troubled by any tax. He wants to increase the rate level to $10 million, and reduce the top level from 45% to 35%. So if your estate is worth $15 million, only $5 million of it is taxed, and after deductions at only about 20%. N.Y. Times, 4/02/09

Kyl claims this is double taxation - WRONG ! Most of that wealth is in capital gains on stocks, real estate, bonds, etc. and, if unsold, the deceased never paid taxes on the gains. His proposal would cost the I.R.S. $250 billion in lost revenue over the next 10 years. If passed, it would also affect an equivalent amount lost to the Arizona Revenue Department. As if the Feds or the state would miss taxes never collected on estates. Kyl, your champion for the “average” Arizonan in the Senate.

Source: FS - The Independent Voice

Parking Lot Guns

The “guns-in-parking-lots” bill, HB 2474, prevents property owners, tenants, employers and businesses from prohibiting the storage or transport of a firearm in locked vehicles parked in a parking lot, parking garage or other designated parking area. The bill was sponsored by Fountain Hills (D8) Republican John Kavanagh and D30 Republican Frank Antenori. Kavanagh equated property owners’ right to prohibit guns on their own property to prohibiting African Americans on their property. “The owner of a private business can’t say I don’t like blacks; therefore, the Civil Rights Act does not apply in my business, no blacks can come in.” “I was surprised to hear this bill compared to the Civil Rights Act of 1965,” said Assistant House Democratic Leader Kyrsten Sinema. “It’s ludicrous.” “This bill violates private property rights of both homeowners and businesses,” she went on to say.

“Property owners should have the right to make decisions about how they will manage, control and protect that property.” House Democratic Leader David Lujan stated, “It would allow people to have incredibly easy access to a firearm immediately
outside of a work environment without the property owner’s consent.” “As House Democrats and Arizonans, we believe in the rights of gun ownership. We also believe in common sense.” The bill would allow weapons in cars at daycare centers and other areas where children are present even without their parents. The bill also offers no exemption for condominium or apartment complexes to keep weapons from coming on to their property. It allows guns in cars parked at a home without consent from the homeowner. The bill, which lacks common sense and violates property rights, passed Committee of the Whole on a voice vote May 7 with all Republican lawmakers voting “yes.”

Source: Rod - Independent Voice

P.L.A.N. Update - Moratorium Misinformation‏

Moratorium is No Benefit to Homeowners or the State

In the last few weeks, the Legislature has considered cities' impact fees as a source of revenue to help save the state budget. Thanks to many of you, that idea was not a part of the FY 2009 budget fix that passed this week (more below). Now, the notion of an impact fee moratorium is cropping up. Advocates of this idea would like to get out of paying impact fees until the economy improves. This idea is short-sighted and detrimental to both the community and the home builders who believe they would benefit:

Growth costs money! New development requires new infrastructure, such as roads, sewer and water treatment facilities, police and fire stations. Impact fees help to pay these costs.

Impact fees create the direct economic link between those paying for and those receiving benefits. This link promotes economic efficiency. The obvious direct economic benefits include the infrastructure investment, such as new roads and new water and sewer extensions. Indirect benefits include predictability in the marketplace, knowing when and where infrastructure investment will occur, and that all developers are treated impartially.

A moratorium penalizes the thousands of homeowners who have already paid impact fees, many of whom are trying to sell their homes.

If the state mandates a moratorium, the impact fees may go away, but the costs for needed infrastructure remain. Who pays these costs? Without impact fees, existing businesses and current homeowners would have to pay for the developers' infrastructure needs.

Growth should pay for itself -- homeowners in established areas shouldn't have to pay for public works that benefit only new areas. You can help block this attempt to shift costs from builders to existing homeowners and businesses by calling or e-mailing your legislator today.

Governor Signs '09 Budget Shortfall Remedy

On Wednesday, state lawmakers passed two bills aimed at closing the shortfall for the FY 2009 budget. The bills suspended a $300 million payment to K-12 education, tapped into $250 million in federal stimulus dollars, and delayed a $100 million disbursement to the universities in order to close a $650 million gap in the current fiscal year. The House Appropriations Committee adopted both HB2028; supplemental reductions; appropriations; FY 2008-2009 and HB2029; school district balances; allocations making these budget adjustments. The monumental task of solving the deficit of at least $3 billion now lies ahead. Both bills were quickly transmitted to the Senate, which adopted them as written, then sent them on to Governor Brewer. She signed both bills into law on Thursday.

"Understanding Your State Legislature" Workshops Well Attended

Thank you to the more than 100 people taking time to attend one of the two workshops this month. Government Relations hosted the second "Understanding Your State Legislature" Workshop on Monday, May 11 at the Burton Barr Central Library. More than 66 residents attended the meeting. Thanks also go to Senator Debbie McCune-Davis and Representatives Cloves Campbell, Robert Lujan and John McComish who answered questions and presented a legislative perspective to becoming involved in the legislative process. Government Relations staff presented "Lobbying 101."

Our city's budget for next fiscal year (July 2009-June 2010) was adopted in February and includes difficult cuts that impact services in our community. Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect city revenues!

Source: P.L.A.N.

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PULLEN: CAP & TRADE NOTHING BUT CAP AND TAX‏

Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen today lauded Republican members of Arizona’s congressional delegation for their outspoken opposition to President Obama’s cap and trade proposal which may be included in legislation being drafted by House Democrats. Pullen urged Arizona’s congressional Democrats to follow their lead and send this bill back to the drawing board.

Cap-and-trade legislation, as promised by President Obama during last fall’s campaign, would allow the government to stack additional regulations and taxes upon businesses like power plants, factories and more. In addition, the government then auctions off, or trades permits to companies who will exceed the limits. Currently, House Democrats on the Energy and Commerce Committee are drafting legislation - opposed by Republicans and Democrats alike - with the input of left leaning environmental groups like the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund and Greenpeace.

“It is becoming clear that President Obama and House Democrats plan to implement another enormous tax on America’s taxpayers is losing support from both sides of the aisle,” said Chairman Pullen. “The truth is, the so-called ‘cap and trade plan’ is nothing more than a national energy tax on power producers which will be passed down to overburdened consumers to pay. Most alarming is that the hardest hit by this regressive tax will be the working poor who can least afford it.”

“People are weary of being taxed from the time they leave the house until the time they get home,” said the Chairman. “Democrats now want to tax us when we open the garage door, turn on the lights or start dinner. Honestly I’m surprised that they haven’t come up with a proposal to tax our taxes, no doubt, in the minds of Democrats this is an idea whose time has come. We need our Arizonan congressional Democrats to get in the game and do what’s right for their constituents.”

Source:

Matthew Roberts
Communications Director
Arizona Republican Party, AZ GOP

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