Arizona budget slashing reshapes state

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[Source: Mary Jo Pitzl, Arizona Republic] – Arizona’s budget deficits were like a house on fire, lawmakers say, and they responded in kind, dousing the fiscal flames without time to weigh the possible impact.

The aftermath of cuts stretching over four budget years is a smaller state government that affects Arizonans from all walks of life – there are higher university-tuition bills, fewer social services and larger classroom sizes.

But those consequences weren’t most important to lawmakers, according to interviews with nearly a dozen Republican legislators involved in budget talks. Instead, legislators focused on cutting spending to match dwindling state tax collections [to read full article click here].

Arizona agencies get creative to cope with budget cutbacks

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[Source: Mary Jo Pitzl, Arizona Republic] –  Since mid-2008, legislators have cut $3.4 billion from state spending.

Most of the cuts were lump-sum reductions. Rather than get into the nitty-gritty of myriad state programs, lawmakers left the details to state agencies. And those agencies responded to the smaller budgets in a variety of ways – from imposing fees on users to ending some services.

The agencies also had to adjust to the consequences of programs being terminated, from juggling lawsuits to referring people to non-profits or other groups that might be able to fill the gaps.

The following examples detail ways state government has responded to a budget that is 20 percent smaller than what it was four years ago [to read the full article click here].

Grants could help Verde River at Clarkdale Arizona project

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[Source: Philip Wright, Verde Independent] – When the Town Council meets at 3 p.m. Tuesday, it will consider a request by staff to go after two grants from the Heritage Fund of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. The process would begin with two pre-applications for two lottery funded grants for Urban Wildlife and for Public Access.

A report prepared by Jodie Filardo, director of development and project manager for Sustainable Clarkdale, explains that the state has $112,500 available for Urban Wildlife and $50,000 for Public Access grants. “Our Verde River @ Clarkdale project aligns well with two specific granting focus areas: Urban Wildlife and Public Access,” Filardo stated. Filardo further explains that Melody Reifsnyder of Sage Consulting will put together the grant applications for the town.

“She is being funded on a fee-for-service basis from Walton Family Foundation grant funds established to hire professional services to write two separate pre-applications,” Filardo stated. If the grant applications are approved, Reifsnyder also will complete the full applications process for the town.

In a related matter, Mayor Doug Von Gausig has sponsored an agenda item calling for the council to consider approving Resolution 1376. That resolution would support The Verde Compact, a statement confirming dedication to the well-being of the Verde River and Valley. In a staff report on the item, Kathy Bainbridge, Town Clerk and Finance Director, stated that the Verde Compact “…has been endorsed by The Nature Conservancy and more endorsements have been pledged from other environmental organizations.” John Neville, president of Sustainable Arizona, will make a presentation regarding the Value the Verde Ecotourism Initiative.

 

Misconception hurts state parks

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[Source: Arizona Republic Editorial] – The struggling state park system isn’t suddenly and magically awash in cash. But there’s a pernicious misconception that it is because the Arizona State Parks Board approved more than $40 million in grants for two cities to buy state trust land. This is not park money.

The board happens to be, under the terms of a voter-approved referendum, the gatekeeper for funding to preserve trust land. The parks don’t get one penny.

It’s a lot like the state treasurer. The office manages billions of dollars a year. But that doesn’t turn Treasurer Doug Ducey and his staff into billionaires.

This kind of misunderstanding – whether willful or careless – may be one reason legislators have so blithely undermined Arizona State Parks. They cut off all state support in 2009. Since then, they’ve reached right into the till, diverting money that the parks themselves earn through entrance fees and concessions. This is not only wrong but also profoundly disingenuous from legislators who want agencies to act more like businesses.

As Arizona heads into yet another challenging year for the state budget, we can’t make smart decisions without looking at the numbers in context. All dollars aren’t the same. Some funding has legal constraints. Some spending has broader benefits beyond the immediate budget line.

Take that $40 million. It’s from the Growing Smarter fund, which voters approved in 1998. The ballot measure required the state to put aside $220 million, over the course of 11 years, to be used as matching money to preserve state trust land. (Trust land cannot be set aside for conservation outright but must be bought or leased.) Scottsdale just got approval for a $36.2 million grant to help expand its mountain preserve.Phoenixis getting $4.18 million to put toward buying land for the Sonoran Preserve.

Given the well-established value of open space – from tourist appeal to recreation to wildlife habitat – those are farsighted moves that will benefit all Arizonans in the long run.

It gets better. The dollars actually do double duty, helping Arizona schools, as well. Money from the sale of trust land is put into a permanent fund, with the interest going to education and a few other public purposes. Because of the matching requirements, the Growing Smarter grants will end up putting more than $80 million into the permanent fund. The story is far more complex than a single figure on a balance sheet.