ISSUE 5 - February 10, 2012

Municipal Water Assessment

The Senate Appropriations Committee gave its unanimous approval to SB 1288 (municipal water fees; repeal; appropriation) on Tuesday, February 7. The vote was 11-0, with two members not voting. The bill, sponsored by Senator Gail Griffin (R-Hereford), repeals the authority of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) to impose an assessment on municipalities to help fund departmental operations. For the coming fiscal year, the assessment is estimated to cost cities and towns approximately $6.5 million - about half of the ADWR's annual budget. SB 1288 returns the responsibility for ADWR funding to the state's general fund. The legislation will now become part of the budget negotiation process between the Legislature and the Office of the Governor.

The League testified in favor of the bill and provided committee members with a letter, signed by a broad group of stakeholders, supporting the use of the state general fund for agency operations. The committee's vice chairman, Senator Ron Gould (R-Lake Havasu City), noted that a very long list of cities and towns registered their support for the bill. The League thanks Senator Griffin for her continued championship of the measure and all of those who signed in to the Legislature's online system to support the bill's passage.



Legislative Bulletin is published by the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.
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Issue 5 - February 10, 2012
Issue 5 - February 10, 2012
Issue 5 - February 10, 2012
Issue 5 - February 10, 2012
Issue 5 - February 10, 2012
Issue 5 - February 10, 2012