P.L.A.N. Update - Yes, Really, Cities Asked to Pay for State Buildings‏

City Revenue Diverted to Pay For State Buildings

One of the items in last weeks' PLAN message was Senate Bill 1221: Urban Revenue Sharing; Distribution Freeze (Sen. Steve Pierce, R-Prescott). This bill would put a cap on the amount of revenue sharing to cities and towns from state income tax at fiscal year 2010 levels for the next 20 years. Future annual tax collections over the 2010 amount would be kept by the State and used to pay some of the State's financial obligations, including the debt service for the state buildings that were sold with a lease buyback agreement last year.

Shared revenues are a voter-approved system in which the state shares a small percentage of its income, sales and vehicle license taxes with Arizona’s 91 cities and towns. In return, cities are prohibited from having their own local income taxes.

Senate Bill 1221 violates the will of the voters and shifts monies that are used to help pay for police, fire, parks and library services from the cities to the state to pay for the state buildings it sold in 2010.

Last week we had hoped that the bill wouldn't get a hearing, but no such luck. The bill is scheduled for this Thursday's Senate Finance Committee at 9 a.m., in Senate Hearing Room 1 at the State Capitol (1700 W. Washington, Phoenix).

Please contact members of the committee and ask that they disapprove SB 1221. The complete list of the Senate Finance Committee and their e-mails are shown below. Thank you for all you do for our community!

Senate Finance Committee

Members Position E-mail Phone
Paula Aboud Member paboud@azleg.gov 602-926-5262
Scott Bundgaard Vice-Chairman sbundgaard@azleg.gov 602-926-3297
Ron Gould Member rgould@azleg.gov 602-926-4138
Jack Jackson Jr. Member jjackson@azleg.gov 602-926-5862
Lori Klein Member lklein@azleg.gov 602-926-5284
John McComish Member jmccomish@azleg.gov 602-926-5898
Steve Yarbrough Chairman syarbrough@azleg.gov 602-926-5863

Remember to SHOP PHOENIX and tell your legislators to protect City revenues that pay for important services such as police, fire, libraries, parks and street maintenance. Thanks for all you do for our community.

Source: P.L.A.N.