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Bill to give sheriff, other county officials control over budget fails
Legislation aimed at giving county sheriffs and other county officers full control over their budgets failed to get the nod of a Senate panel on Feb. 10.
New leader for US Attorney’s Office in Tucson
Shelley Clemens has been named to lead the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tucson.
Arpaio wants more info before headquarters move
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says he and his staff will leave their downtown headquarters but only if the move will save money for taxpayers.
Bills involving transparency include plan to put local government spending online
Requiring local governments to post records of all financial transactions online would make officials better stewards of the public's money, a state lawmaker contends.
Lawmaker: Arizona’s bald eagles need additional protection from state
Bald eagles need additional protection, especially preservation of their habitat, to survive in Arizona, a state lawmaker contends.
Local governments against changes to shared-revenue formula
So far, lawmakers and the Governor's Office have avoided conjuring the greatest fear of local governments - changing the formula that determines who gets what from the collective pot of money they all share.
Special session: Day 4
The House Feb. 8 approved two more measures aimed at filling in a $1.4 billion deficit this year and paving the way to bridge a substantially larger shortfall in the upcoming year, but two more bills still await action.
Passing the buck: Local governments’ worst budget fears
Local government is usually the last place the Legislature looks to find extra money, but the state budget deficit has forced lawmakers to take desperate steps. This year and last, cities and counties have been forced to pay bills that historically have been the state's responsibility. During the past year, lawmakers have taken money that was intended to pay for local services, limited cities' [...]
Married parents would get preference in adoptions
Rep. Warde Nichols, a Republican from Gilbert, has introduced an adoption bill that would require the state to give preference to married couples.
Smaller counties brace for influx of youth offenders from state
YUMA - On any given day, youths occupy about 55 of the 80 beds available at the Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center, staying an average of about two weeks.
Panel approves ballot measure to repeal voter protection on spending
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a ballot measure Feb. 2 that will ask voters to repeal a state constitutional amendment limiting lawmakers' ability to amend voter-mandated spending.
Day 2: Tracking the special session
UPDATE: 4:35 p.m. Senate President Bob Burns acknowledged it took a significant effort by Republicans and Democrats to pass all six special session budget bills out of his chamber, even though he wouldn’t “put it in the fiscally responsible plan category.”
