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Tax relief renters’ gain, cities’ loss
Effective Jan. 1, cities can no longer charge sales taxes on residential rentals.
Starting a Phoenix business should not take 58 steps
Phoenix should look at consolidating fees and streamlining the building and zoning permit process, which can be lengthy and opaque. Aspiring restaurant owners, for example, must submit seven sets of plans with their applications. This is too much.
Artists want complete control over their public exhibitions but governments say it’s not that simple
If things had gone as originally planned, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum would be launching its fall exhibition Friday. But officials postponed the show six weeks before the opening over concern that a painting by activist-artist Shepard Fairey could be seen as "disparaging toward some City of Mesa employees."
New law extends counseling for those helping people in crisis
The way Melody Hernandez sees it, the trauma incurred by those taking emergency calls from people in crisis and dispatching help is no less than what occurs for her as a paramedic.
Hobbs signs legislation to eliminate right of cities, towns to set local rental tax
Arizona renters are going to get some small relief in their bills. But not just yet.
Feds choose new water and science deputy to focus on drought resilience
The U.S. Interior Department has tapped an official with the federal government's water management bureau to serve as a deputy assistant secretary for water and science.
Climate adaptation in Arizona will require more than just federal funding, luck
The federal government just reached a historic deal with California, Arizona, and Nevada to provide cities, irrigation districts, and tribal governments with around $1.2 billion to temporarily use less water from the Colorado River. In Arizona, these solutions will require unpopular political decisions – and there isn’t much time to enact them.
Hobbs negotiating with GOP lawmakers to try to ask voters to extend transportation tax
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is directly negotiating with Republican lawmakers who control the Arizona Legislature to try to craft a deal to ask Maricopa County voters to extend a half-cent sales tax that for nearly 40 years has paid for new freeways, bus routes and light rail transportation projects.
Hobbs vetoes controversial student pronouns bill, other legislation
Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have barred teachers from referring to students by their preferred pronoun or name, calling it just another piece of "harmful legislation directed at transgender youth.'' And the governor said similar measures will meet the same fate.
Lawmakers take long break – key bills await action
The pressure is off state lawmakers after Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a $17.8 billion budget package and negotiations on critical housing and transportation issues will continue during a near month-long recess of the Legislature.
City and state leaders can tackle affordable housing crisis together
In recent years, I’ve been quoted as saying, homelessness is not AN issue, it is THE issue. I encourage our legislators to partner with local community leaders to turn this around before it’s too late.
Measure to eliminate cities’ ability to tax food heads to Hobbs
A Republican proposal to cut sales tax imposed on groceries by some cities passed its final hurdle in the Arizona Legislature, but it may meet a veto stamp on the ninth floor.
