Gov. Jan Brewer said she is disappointed in the pace of the Legislature’s special session and urged lawmakers to move swiftly in approving a full budget.

“I think we have a crisis here in Arizona, and we need to step up and we need to address the issues that are on the front-burner right now. We need to do it immediately, so I would encourage them to move forward swiftly,” Brewer said.

At a July 21 press conference, held to trumpet the Department of Public Safety’s recent seizure of nearly $5 million worth of illegal drugs, the governor said she has not held budget discussions with legislative leaders since the special session began on July 6 because they have been unavailable. Many lawmakers have been out of the state for annual summits of the American Legislative Exchange Council and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

If lawmakers do not act soon to amend the 2010 budget, Brewer said the public may begin pressuring the Legislature to reach a solution. The Legislature approved a budget on July 1, but it faces a deficit of $2.5 billion due to a host of vetoes by Brewer, who opposed the depth of its spending cuts and the absence of a ballot referral for her proposal to temporarily raise Arizona’s sales tax rate.

“I certainly believe if it does not get resolved quickly that the public will take it upon themselves to get it resolved. We cannot continue functioning in the manner of which we’re functioning at this point in time. We need budgets. People need to know how much money they’re going to get to spend and how they’re going to face 2010,” Brewer said.

Some legislative Democrats have said they would be willing to support a ballot referral for Brewer’s tax plan, which have faced widespread opposition from their side of the aisle, but not unless the governor nixed a proposed repeal of the state’s equalization property tax. That tax, which is projected to generate about $250 million in 2010 if it goes back on the books, was eliminated in the July 1 budget, but that portion of the budget was among Brewer’s numerous vetoes.

Brewer also said she would be willing to consider an alternative tax plan drawn up by Democratic lawmakers in which the state’s sales tax rate would go down but the base of goods and services that are taxed would be expanded. Everything is on the table, Brewer said, but any tax plan would have to generate at least $1 billion a year and would have to be relatively simple in its implementation.

“If (legislative Democrats) can show me that that would be a benefit to raise the kind of revenue that we need and it would be easily understood how it would be incorporated, I’m willing to discuss it. I’m willing to discuss any option to save the future of Arizona,” Brewer said.

Brewer emphasized that she is more concerned with Arizona’s future than with her own. When asked whether Republicans, who have been largely hostile to her tax increase plan, would be willing to nominate her as the GOP candidate next year, Brewer said it would inappropriate to commit to a 2010 run while she and lawmakers are still trying solve the state’s budget deficit.

“Right now I haven’t given it a lot of consideration. The bottom line is that I’m not worried about my political future. I’m worried about the future of the state of Arizona, and it’s something that we have to step up and realize as an elected official you’ve got to do what’s right, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” she said.