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Day: September 19, 2025

Scottsdale takes first legal step to block Axon headquarters project

Key Points:
  • The Scottsdale City Council voted to challenge state law 
  • Law allows Axon to build its global headquarters in the city
  • Citizen group also preparing to take action against the law

The Scottsdale City Council voted on Sept. 12 to take a preliminary step towards filing a lawsuit against the state over a law that will allow Axon to build its global headquarters in the city.

The council voted 6-1 to instruct the city’s interim attorney to file a notice of claim, which will reserve the city’s right to challenge the law that paved the way for the headquarters and bypass a ballot measure that would’ve let voters determine the fate of the project.

Councilmember Kathy Littlefield cast the lone ‘no’ vote.

The council approved the notice of claim just days after they voted during a Sept. 9 meeting to withdraw an agenda item to authorize a lawsuit against the state.

The new law will require cities with populations between 200,000 and 500,000 to allow hotels and multifamily residential housing to be built in areas zoned for light industrial use without needing an application that would require a public hearing. It is set to take effect on Sept. 26. 

If the city doesn’t move forward to stop the legislation, a group called Taxpayers Against Awful Apartment Zoning Exemptions, or TAAAZE, intends to file a lawsuit before the law takes effect, said TAAAZE Chairman Bob Littlefield, who is a former Scottsdale City Council member and Kathy Littlefield’s husband.

Some City Council members cited ongoing negotiations with the company as a reason not to approve a lawsuit.

“Litigation is a failure of negotiation. We’re not done negotiating,” said Councilmember Solange Whitehead, who made a motion to authorize the notice of claim. “In my mind, there’s a lot that we can still do. We want to keep every single option open.”

Councilmember Adam Kwasman said at the meeting that the notices of claim are a normal means to a “litigatory end.”

“Right now, I could confirm that we are smack dab in the middle of high stakes (negotiations) with a massive employer in order to guarantee a serious reduction of apartments for Scottsdale residents,” Kwasman said. “And when you’re in the middle of a high stakes negotiation, that does not mean you preclude any chance of litigation.”

However, some council members still wanted to move forward with the lawsuit.

Councilmember Barry Graham made an alternate motion during the meeting to file a notice of claim and a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the law, but the motion failed 4-3 with Mayor Lisa Borowsky and Councilmembers Kwasman, Whitehead and Maryann McAllen voting against the measure.

An Axon spokesman declined to comment on the council’s decision.

TAAAZE is also looking to take action before the law goes into effect.

The group filed a referendum application to send the legislation to the ballot after it was approved in April. They have also kept open the possibility of a lawsuit.

The deadline to submit signatures for a recall election is Sept. 26. The group would need 127,975 signatures to send the law to the ballot.

Still, Littlefield is hoping the city will file a lawsuit.

“It still depends a little bit on what the city’s doing because they have better standing than we do,” Littlefield said.

Axon’s headquarters reached a point of contention after the company proposed to include about 1,900 apartments and condominiums, a hotel and retail integrated as part of the project. 

The company and city engaged in negotiations over the number of apartments and density of the project, but company officials said in June that they had withdrawn from negotiations and blamed city officials for creating a “toxic environment” during the talks.

Axon President Josh Isner said that, at the time, the company still intended to stay in the city and would be open to future negotiations.

The Scottsdale City Council initially approved zoning for the project last November, although the majority of the current council members took office after the approval. 

Once the zoning was approved, TAAAZE collected enough signatures to send the measure to the ballot after some residents expressed opposition to the project.

However, the law, which was introduced last legislative session as Senate Bill 1543, cleared the way for the project without needing voter approval.

Will Robson be the new face of Arizona conservatism?

Peter Clark

In a strange turn of events, a recent Noble Predictive Insights poll has found that Republican gubernatorial contender Karrin Taylor-Robson is “10 points ahead of competitor” Andy Biggs. Robson was once estranged from the MAGA wing of the GOP and is now the frontrunner in the primary race.

Some commentators believe Robson’s early lead is not sustainable on the long campaign trail to the 2026 primary. Due to her lack of grassroots support, being viewed as a political insider, and flip-flopping on policy, she potentially weakens her dominance.

What would it mean for the AZ GOP if Robson wins the nomination? Both candidates have the endorsement of President Trump, but represent different factions of the GOP.

Robson presents Arizona with a MAGA-lite flavor of conservatism, favoring solution-focused policies and practicality.

Meanwhile, Biggs is a MAGA firebrand. Uncompromising and resolute when it comes to upholding conservative principles.

The current status of the GOP primary could be a shift in Arizona politics. While MAGA is still a predominant strain of conservatism, it’s losing steam. From March 2025 to June 2025, Republicans nationally identifying as MAGA declined to 49%.

Robson’s current lead could be the ripple effect of national trends bleeding into Arizona’s political landscape. Voters currently preferring Robson could be a sign of a shift toward moderate politics, supporting AZ First policies, and a demand for solutions over fiery rhetoric.

Arizona is far from a secure right-wing stronghold. The diaspora of transplants from deep-blue states has loosened the GOP’s grip on AZ. Outside of registered Republicans, the second largest voter demographic in the state is independents, making up 34.13% of the electorate. 

Republicans really need to reach persuadable moderates if they want to win elections – 59% of Arizona voters believe that “both political parties are too extreme.”

As we saw in the 2022 midterms, extremism is a vice when it comes to winning elections. Independent voters were unswayed by the quirks of far-right MAGA candidates Kari Lake and Blake Masters. Lake even failed to engage moderates in her 2024 Senate bid.

Robson side-steps the “Kari Lake Problem” by marketing herself as MAGA-friendly, but avoiding inflammatory rhetoric that is off-putting to moderates. Her balanced approach has so far paid off. She even leads with “Trump-first Republicans.” Showing that even some of Trump’s diehard supporters recognize the GOP needs to change course to win Arizona.

A whopping 60% of AZ voters don’t believe politicians focus on the most critical issues.

Robson, positioning herself as being business-oriented while focusing on matters of local concern, such as the economy and public safety, is a laudable attempt to avoid the trappings of the national political scene. Establishing a political brand that is Arizona-First.

Biggs is America-First, not Arizona-First. He’s as Trumpian as you can get. Instead of focusing on issues of concern to the state, he may import policies that achieve the grand strategy of the national MAGA coalition. 

The rising nationalization of state and local politics is evident with national advocacy groups weighing in on low-profile local elections.

As governor, you must put the state before your party; otherwise, you will be doing a disservice to Arizonans. 

Conservatives have succeeded in implementing tax cuts, border enforcement, and rolling back DEI. But they’ve lost ground due to infighting and their hostility toward bipartisanship.

Arizonans are not impressed by the theatrics of bomb-throwing ideologues – they prefer results. Only 29% of Arizona voters prefer politicians who refuse to reach across the aisle on principle.

On her campaign website, Robson has highlighted the public’s frustration with “bipartisan gridlock,” signaling that she will be willing to approach the issues facing the state pragmatically. 

I can only hope that Robson is sincere in her efforts to put Arizona first. However, with the primary 11 months away, we can only hope she doesn’t succumb to the pressure from external interest groups. However, her milder brand of conservative politics appears to be already resonating with voters. If she stays on course, she could be a new force in Arizona politics.

Peter Clark is an Arizona-based writer.

Arizona Capitol Times – September 19, 2025

Spring cleaning: Arizona’s big 3 universities announce renovations

Key Points: 
  • All three Arizona public universities provided updates for projects across their campuses.
  • ASU plans to spend $676 million on seven projects, UofA is spending $335 million on four projects and NAU has a $98 million budget for two projects. 
  • The Arizona Board of Regents has approved the Annual Capital Plans for each Arizona public university. 

Arizona State University, the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University disclosed their annual capital plans for the 2026 fiscal year on Sept. 11, revealing plans for deferred maintenance and renovations across all three campuses. 

The three public universities presented their 2026 financial budgets to the Arizona Board of Regents during a University Governance & Operations Committee meeting, where updates on thirteen various projects were approved. 

“House cleaning is never fun, and ABOR is cleaning out its attic,” Doug Goodyear, the chair of ABOR, said. “It’s all for the greater good and will make us a more modern and better institution.”

ASU’s fiscal plan stood as the largest physically and monetarily with seven projects totaling $676 million:

  • The ASU Health Building will cost $200 million and will be 200,000 gross square feet. The building will serve as a headquarters for ASU Health at the Downtown Phoenix campus. The plans for the building were previously brought up to ABOR in September 2024 and were approved. It’s expected the building will be finished in June 2028. The project will be debt-financed with speed bonds and system revenue bonds. 
  • The McCain Center is expected to be a $187 million project, financed through federal grants and university funds. The center will be 68,000 gross square feet, situated on top of the site where the ASU Community Service building is located, next to Papago Park. The building will have a museum, library and academic spaces. The building is scheduled to be completed in January 2028.
  • The PSH Research Laboratory Complex Modernization has a $115 million budget and will renovate the Bateman Physical Sciences Center on the ASU Tempe Campus. The project will focus on renovating labs and office spaces inside the building. Planning for the project began in 2024, with construction projected to start in December 2025. ABOR originally approved the project in September 2024.
  • ASU’s Polytechnic Student Union Expansion is projected to cost $66 million and will go toward renovating and expanding the Student Union on the Polytechnic campus. Planning for the project began in August 2023, and construction is expected to start in May 2026. ABOR originally approved the project in September 2024 and will be debt-financed. 
  • Costing $51 million, the East Athletic Village Tennis and Track and Field Facilities will focus on moving the Tennis and Track and Field facilities to the ASU Athletic Village in Tempe. The project was submitted to ABOR in 2024, and is expected to be completed in June 2027. The project will be debt-financed with system revenue bonds. 
  • MTW Partnership Renovations is a $42 million project meant to renovate equipment and lab spaces at MacroTechnology Works at the ASU Research Park in Tempe. This project was not previously pitched to ABOR. The project will be debt financed with system revenue bonds and is projected to be completed in December 2028. 
  • The Central Plant Transformer and Switchgear has a budget of $15 million. The project will replace five 12,700-volt substation transformers inside the central plant at the Tempe campus. The project was approved in September 2024 and will be debt-financed. Construction is expected to begin in May 2026 and will be finished in December 2029. 

“We’re the largest producer of STEM majors in the United States,” Michael Crow, ASU president, said in the meeting. “So this is a critical contribution that we’re making to the Arizona economy.”

For the UA, its Annual Capital Plan consisted of four projects, totaling over $335 million: 

  • The Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies project was presented to the board in both 2023 and 2024, costing $232 million. The project serves as an expansion of the Phoenix Bioscience Core. It will consist of a 205,000 gross square foot facility housing the Center for Molecular and Immunological Therapies and other laboratory support services. The building will be in Downtown Phoenix. Construction for the building started in 2024 and is projected to finish in May 2027. The project will be funded using system revenue bonds, ARPA funds, gifts to finance and tuition. 
  • The UofA introduced the Athletics Deferred Maintenance and Infrastructure Upgrades project to the board for the first time, revealing a total cost of $50 million. The project will invest in upgrading UofA sports facilities and is expected to be finished by June 2026. The project’s budget will be financed through SPEED revenue bonds. 
  • At $33.5 million, the Deferred Maintenance project will be responsible for campus-wide repairs and updates. It is expected to be finished by June 2026. $30 million of the project will be financed through system revenue bonds, with $3.5 million funded through institutional sources. 
  • The Student Experience and Student Union Deferred Maintenance has a $20 million budget and had no prior action from ABOR. The money will go toward modernizing the building and promoting sustainability. Like the other deferred maintenance project from UofA, the project is projected to be finished in June 2026. The project will be funded using SPEED revenue bonds. 

“Our Student Union was constructed in 2001, which was the last time it had major systems upgrades,” said Josh Wright, the chief facilities and planning officer at the UofA. “We’re interested in looking both within the union as well as campus wide and places that our students can gather, … share experiences and really build that campus culture that we are seeking.”

Northern Arizona University, being the smallest school of the three, had two major projects to fund, totaling $98 million: 

  • The New Nursing Building project will cost $50 million. The project was previously proposed to ABOR. Located at the North campus science corridor, the building will be the new location for the College of Nursing and will serve to assist NAU’s expansion into health care. The project will be debt-financed through system revenue bonds and is expected to be completed by August 2029. 
  • The Cline Library project will cost $48 million, addressing critical maintenance needs and upgrades. The project was previously brought up to the board and will be finished by December 2028. The project will be debt-financed with system revenue bonds. 

“We would better optimize the space within the Cline Library and relocate from the Babbitt academic building, which would be demolished into this building,” said Bjorn Karlen Flugstad, the senior vice president and CFO of NAU. “Cline Library would be open throughout this entire process.”

University representatives at the ABOR meeting reported how federal policies have affected student enrollment and grant money. 

The three universities are facing challenges in recruiting out-of-state students for the upcoming year due to government stressors. 

“Our biggest disruption in the process is disruption of the visas because of political changes,” Crow said. “We’ll work our way through those. Those will eventually be solved.”

Correction: This story has been updated with the correct figures for the projected costs of the ASU Health Building and the Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies.

Arizona agencies request pay hikes for employees

Key Points:
  • State agencies request salary increases for staff in their fiscal year 2027 budget requests
  • Gov. Katie Hobbs’ proposal for a 2% to 3% raise for all state employees was rejected earlier this year
  • Agencies say years of rejected raise requests are leading to high turnover rates and low employee morale

Several state agencies are requesting salary increases for their staff after a proposal for a 2% to 3% raise for all state employees fell through earlier this year.

According to agency budget requests submitted to the Governor’s Office for fiscal year 2027 — which starts July 1, 2026 — several state entities are requesting employee salary increases ranging anywhere from 4% to 10%. 

All of the agencies asking for salary increases cited high turnover rates and low employee morale, with some requests noting that employees are actively seeking employment elsewhere or working two jobs to meet basic needs. Smaller agencies, like the Board of Dental Examiners and the Arizona Historical Society, are particularly struggling with low salaries. 

“The (Board of Dental Examiners) staff are currently disappointed due to the lack of pay increases, the increasing workload, and reading the news about other state agency salary increases that rely on (the board’s) shared 15% to the general fund,” the board’s request states. “While staff members continue to work overtime, when available, this has not alleviated the issues. They are tired and frustrated by the lack of resources.”

Gov. Katie Hobbs proposed enacting a 2% to 3% raise for all state employees in her executive budget proposal, but the raise was not included in the budget she ultimately signed for fiscal year 2026. Hobbs told the Arizona Capitol Times that it is too early to speak of specific budget plans for next year, but state employee pay is something she is always looking to increase.

“This is a huge challenge and one of the things that keeps me up at night,” Hobbs said. “My message to state employees is that I appreciate the work you do on behalf of Arizonans every day. I know it is not easy, and we’re doing what we can to make sure that you’re compensated for what you do.”

Many of the agencies asking for salary increases for their employees are fee-funded and would use the revenue from those fees to fund pay bumps, avoiding any costs to taxpayers. Requests for a 5% increase at the Board of Dental Examiners and 10% increases at the Board of Pharmacy and the Board of Chiropractic Examiners would not dip into the state’s general fund, which is supported by income and sales taxes. 

However, excess revenue generated by the boards goes into the general fund, meaning any increase funded by fees would take money away from the revenue lawmakers and the governor use to fund new initiatives or cover costs at other agencies. And Hobbs is already warning that there will not be much general fund money to go around next year with federal spending cuts and the dwindling of Covid recovery funds. 

That isn’t stopping agencies from asking for pay raises financed by the state’s general fund though. 

The Arizona Historical Society’s request for a 10% increase would cost around $310,500 annually from the general fund. But AHS says raises are necessary because it estimates one quarter of its staff will resign without them.

“Many of the agency’s staff have been forced into secondary employment to meet their basic needs,” AHS’s request states.

Other, larger agencies are also asking for general fund money to support staff salary increases. The Department of Juvenile Corrections and the Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reentry are asking for 4% raises, while the Attorney General’s Office and the Administrative Office of the Courts are asking for 5% and 10% raises respectively.

ADCRR submitted the largest general fund request for salary increases at $26 million. The Administrative Office of the Courts, which encompasses the Superior Court, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, asked for one of the largest pay bumps at a cost of $5.8 million to the general fund. 

The AOC said in its budget request that many of its staff are currently underpaid.

“Our latest review found that Judicial Branch employees are paid 19% below the comparable court job market, making it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain a skilled workforce,” the AOC request noted. 

Almost all of the agencies asking for salary increases attribute low employee pay to a combination of inflation, the Covid pandemic and other economic factors. But some agencies noted that their requests for pay increases have been ignored for years, allowing the cost of living to outpace salaries. 

The last statewide salary increase of 10% was enacted in fiscal year 2023. State troopers and firefighters saw a 5% and 10% pay raise respectively in the current fiscal year. 

The requests for state employee salary increases also come after lawmakers discussed raising their own pay during the 2025 session. Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, championed a measure that would have asked voters to approve raising lawmaker salaries from $24,000 to $48,000, while other lawmakers also offered proposals for increasing their pay. 

But most proposals for pay increases for lawmakers have also gone ignored for years, making it unlikely that either elected officials or state employees can expect a raise anytime soon. 

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