A state representative has a plan to force local public entities to vote on what the Legislature couldn’t last year: whether to stop the automatic deductions from public employees’ paychecks for union dues.

Following her public feud with an association representing Arizona municipalities this year, a Republican from Scottsdale wants to bar the association’s new employees from joining the state’s retirement system.

This week’s most outstanding utterances, gibes and quips.

GOP lawmakers’ annual battle with cities over what’s best for local government may be moving from the Legislature to the ballot box.

"I wouldn't bet a whole lot of money on those lawsuits being successful. I think most of these arguments were settled as a result of the Civil War." - John Rivers, president of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, on the lawsuit being filed by 13 state attorneys general against the federal health care bill.

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.

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.

If anyone doubts the state's troubled economy is clobbering Arizona's cities and towns, they only have to look in the newspaper. "Phoenix details plan for drastic cutbacks;" "Cities, towns resort to layoffs;" "Falling revenues affect city of Prescott operations."

Political insiders said voters are naïve to object to the practice of a lawmaker voting for a bill that he or she actually opposes.

So far this year, some lobbyists haven't even bothered to ask lawmakers to introduce a bill on their behalf. Others have big goals, despite the widespread perception that lawmakers will be focused almost entirely on the budget deficit.