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GITA director uses hands-on approach to streamline state’s infrastructure
Chad Kirkpatrick’s office, located on the top floor of the Arizona Department of Administration’s building, has a near-perfect view of the Copper Dome.
He also has a clear view of his goal: to make government more cost- effective, efficient and more responsive to its citizens by using technology to streamline basic operations.
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Lawsuit settlement tosses rule on removing wolves for livestock kills
Mexican gray wolves no longer will be subject to the “three strikes and you’re out” rule, thanks to a settlement reached between environmental groups and the federal government.
The informal rule went by the bureaucratic sounding name of standard operating procedure 13 (SOP 13), which allowed wolves to be removed from the wild for attacking and killing livestock three times within a year.
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Martin says Goddard is throwing ‘legal temper tantrum’
The Attorney General’s Office may not be providing many legal services to the Treasurer’s Office anymore, and state Treasurer Dean Martin had some sharp words for Attorney General Terry Goddard over the dispute.
“He said he’s not our attorney anymore,” Martin said. “It’s like a legal temper tantrum.”
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Lawmakers consider seeking exemption from stimulus requirements
Standing between lawmakers and millions of dollars in budget cuts to education are three letters - M-O-E.
Since Arizona started drawing federal stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, some lawmakers have decried the maintenance-of-effort, or MOE, requirements for portions of the money.
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Former veterans agency chief indicted for fraud, conflict, misuse of funds
The Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced on Nov. 19 that a former director of the Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services has been indicted on eight felony charges, including counts of conflict of interest, fraud and misuse of public money.
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State borrows $700M; first external loan since Great Depression
The State Loan Commission has approved a $700 million line of credit from Bank of America, marking the first external borrowing the state has done since the Great Depression.
State Treasurer Dean Martin said his office will finalize the agreement with Bank of America next week and will begin issuing treasurer’s warrants by the end of November.
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Pearce offers amendment, then pulls it back
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Nov. 18, Sen. Russell Pearce, a Republican from Mesa who chairs the committee, offered an amendment that would have dictated how Pima and Maricopa counties would have to pay $22 million to the state.
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Brewer out of town for special session
Gov. Jan Brewer is on the road, just as lawmakers are convening for their fourth special session.
Brewer left town this morning (Nov. 18) for a scheduled trip to Austin, Texas, where she will attend the 2009 conference of the Republican Governors Association. Spokeswoman Kim Sabow said the governor plans to attend both days of the conference, but will return to Arizona on Nov. 19.
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Arizona Budget Coalition echoes Democrats’ budget proposals
The Arizona Budget Coalition, representing organizations against a budget solution that relies heavily on spending cuts, proposed alternative means of raising revenue while lawmakers attended Day 2 of the special session.
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Municipalities file special action for access to SRP watershed records
Two municipalities are challenging the authority of one of the state’s largest utilities and are now asking a Maricopa County court to order Salt River Project (SRP) to turn over records under the state’s public records law.
