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Uncertainty looms in off session for Brewer, lawmakers
The uneasy stalemate that ended this year's budget battle didn't answer many questions, and the new ones it raises loom large as Gov. Jan Brewer and the Legislature look to what will probably be an even tougher fight ahead.
Indecent proposals: No winners so far in budget marathon
Legislative leaders from both parties were guardedly optimistic they would reach an agreement when they began negotiating a solution to the fiscal 2010 deficit with the governor last month, and even when it appeared the talks were faltering, some saw hope as long as the parties kept talking.
Local taxpayers may see higher rates to pay for school costs
Lawmakers may shift the responsibility for education funding to local property owners as a way of coping with staggering budget deficits in the near future, even though it would translate to higher property taxes.
Ex-Justice O’Connor proposes revamp of Arizona government
Retired Supreme Court Justice and Arizona icon Sandra Day O'Connor is spearheading an effort to make major structural changes to state government in advance of the 2012 centennial. "We love this state and see the need for a few changes," she said.
Midyear property tax repeal a potential ‘nightmare’ for counties
Legislative Republicans may have to reconcile themselves to at least one year of the state equalization property tax. It would be theoretically possible to repeal the tax retroactively during the next legislative session, so that property owners would be reimbursed for the taxes already paid under the equalization rate. But any lawmaker hoping to do so can expect fierce opposition from county trea[...]
Arizona delegation responds to Obama health care speech
President Obama on Sept. 9 offered what could be his administration's last direct attempt to convince Americans to rally around his health care plan, offering an outline Democrats found encouraging. But even as Democrats hope for a new wind on health care, Republicans were largely unswayed, with Arizona Rep. Trent Franks calling the address "divorced from reality completely."
Brewer still pushing tax hike, but doubt may be creeping in
Gov. Jan Brewer is still committed to getting a temporary sales tax increase on the ballot, and she still believes Arizona's voters would support it. But perhaps for the first time since she unveiled her plan in March, signs of doubt may be showing through Brewer's publicly optimistic rhetoric.
States’ fiscal problems have never been worse
World War II jolted the U.S. out of its last massive financial crisis, but with no global war to propel a recovery this time states are scrambling to staunch the red ink splashing across their budget sheets.
Billion-dollar deficits to plague Ariz. through 2013
Most states are swimming in red ink, but Arizona is on the verge of drowning in it. Federal stimulus dollars intended to prop up government revenues and help states weather the economic storm have been spent, and the Grand Canyon State is facing deficits that could reach $3 billion in each of the next three years.
Lawmakers from both parties criticize Brewer’s budget action
The governor’s actions on the state budget drew jeers from both Republicans and Democrats, but for wildly different reasons. House Speaker Kirk Adams and Senate President Bob Burns, both Republicans, said Gov. Jan Brewer increased state spending by more than $350 million with her line-item-vetoes of cuts to K-12 education and the Department of Economic Security, which provides benefits for Arizo[...]
Brewer vetoes part of budget, blames ‘extremists’ from both parties
Blaming “extremists” from both parties for holding up the budget process and threatening the state with bankruptcy, Gov. Jan Brewer on Sept. 4 signed large swaths of the budget that she said will help the state “weather the storm” until the next legislative session. But she vetoed parts of the main spending bill, including $300 million in cuts to K-12 schools and DES. She also vetoed the b[...]
State cash reserves should last through September
The state's cash reserves are dwindling fast, but Arizona should be able to keep paying its bills through the end of September. If no budget is in place by the start of October, however, the state will likely have to borrow from the private sector for the first time in memory, if not the state's history.
