by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 27, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Republicans in the Arizona Legislature are wasting no time to improve the state’s groundwater situation in this 57th Regular Session.
On Tuesday, the Arizona House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, Energy & Water gave a green light to House Concurrent Memorial 2003, which “states the Legislature’s interest in having the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the Arizona State Land Department focus on increasing groundwater recharge through groundwater recharge infrastructure projects,” according to the overview provided by the State House of Representatives.
In a statement, State Representative Gail Griffin, the measure’s sponsor, said, “County supervisors, flood control districts, and natural resource conservation districts have the authority to construct stormwater detention basins and other constructive infrastructure that increase groundwater recharge. Local and county officials should push the Governor’s Department of Water Resources and State Land Department to develop these projects within their communities to increase local water supplies.”
Griffin added, “Over 95 percent of rainfall in the state evaporates before it can naturally recharge aquifers. Increasing the amount of natural recharge by only a few percentage points would increase the amount of local water supplies substantially. The solution to unleashing economic prosperity in rural Arizona through increased water supplies is investing in additional groundwater-stormwater recharge. Local communities have tools to address groundwater issues. We need to work together to utilize those tools to secure our long-term water supplies.”
The press release from the Arizona House Republicans Caucus shared that “projects like Horseshoe Draw Recharge Project in Cochise County and Hualapai Flood Control Project in Mohave County are examples of projects that increase local supplies without expanding the size of government or imposing top-down government regulations on rural industries.” There are “331 sites on state trust land that the agencies have identified as suitable for maximizing groundwater recharge.”
According to the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Arizona Farm and Ranch Group, Audubon Arizona / National Audubon Society, and Arizona Cotton Growers Association, signed in to support the bill. Representatives from the Sierra Club – Grand Canyon Chapter and CHISPA Arizona – A Program of League of Conservation Voters, signed in to oppose the legislation.
Republicans and Democrats will continue to do battle over water issues in this divided state government, as they have for the previous two years. Governor Katie Hobbs has been largely unwilling to adopt Republican policies on these matters, vetoing bills over the past two sessions that would have strengthened Arizona’s position on water conservation, management, and proliferation for current and future generations. The two sides still appear to be far apart on water issues as another legislative session heads into its second month.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 27, 2025 | Education, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
One Arizona legislator is attempting to ensure that students attending the state’s community colleges have what they need to succeed at school and with their future endeavors.
Last week, Senate Education Chairman David Farnsworth announced that he would be “launching a series of virtual workgroup meetings to examine the role community colleges play in workforce development and higher education.”
Farnsworth, a Republican, decided to enact these group discussions as a part of “his commitment to ensuring that state taxpayer dollars used to fund educational institutions are truly equipping students for success.”
In a statement that accompanied his announcement, Farnsworth said, “Arizona has transformed tremendously since I attended Mesa Community College as a student. I’m curious to find out whether our community college system still adequately prepares students for the real world today. Taxpayers should have confidence in knowing the funds community colleges are receiving from the State are translating into reliable pathways to upward economic mobility for those students who do not attend four-year universities.”
Senator Farnsworth added, “With the information I gather through these workgroup meetings, I hope to improve the community college system through potential legislation that will benefit all Arizona students.”
Those involved in the workgroups will work together to address three questions of significance for this industry. The first is, “What is the role of community colleges in the landscape of higher education in Arizona?” The second is, “What is the State of Arizona’s obligation to community colleges?” And the third is, “Do the current governance and funding models of community colleges support the answers to the questions above?”
Senator Farnsworth was just sworn into another term at the Arizona Legislature when it convened last Monday for the start of the 57th Regular Session. In addition to his position as the chairman of the Education Committee, Farnsworth serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and he is a member of the Government, Regulatory Affairs and Government Efficiency, and Ethics Committees.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 26, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a 5-2 vote last week, the Fountain Hills Town Council rejected the ‘Vision Zero Road Diet Plan,’ to be initiated through a Federal FY 2024 SS4A Grant Program applied for under former Mayor Ginny Dickey.
The grant is part of the Biden administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” despite its wide rejection by all but two House Republicans and a majority of GOP Senators. The grant would have launched a two-year long project with $240,000 in federal funds matched with $60,000 from the town, bringing the total taxpayer cost to $300,000, according to documentation prepared by Town Engineer David Janover.
The summary of the plan explains: “This grant aligns with the Town’s commitment to Vision Zero principles, aiming to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries while fostering safer, more accessible transportation infrastructure. Additionally, the grant is in direct accord with the Town’s 2022 Strategic Plan which notes a priority of ‘improving the public health, well-being, and safety of our town.’”
The plan purported to:
- Identify areas for infrastructure improvements to enhance safety for all users.
- Develop speed management strategies in high-risk areas.
- Engage residents through public outreach to reflect community needs.
- Address pedestrian accessibility and emergency route improvements.
- Provide a framework for future safety improvements and grant applications.
Councilman Allen Skillicorn, joined by fellow councilors Gayle Earle, Rick Watts, Vice Mayor Hannah Toth, and Mayor Gerry Friedel, voted to reject the Resolution citing the plan’s inclusion of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) policies.
Councilwoman Earle asked pointedly during the Jan. 21st meeting, “How is this plan racially equitable? Climate change, how does that relate to streets?”
As noted by Earle, the text of the grant agreement included a page-and-a-half-long commitment to “Improve Racial Equity and Reduce Barriers to Opportunity,” in which the town provided a “supporting narrative.” It stated, “The Town of Fountain Hills is committed to addressing equity considerations as part of its Comprehensive Safety Action Plan under the SS4A grant. While Fountain Hills is an affluent community, its neighboring community, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, represents an underserved population. Recognizing the proximity and interconnectedness of these communities, the Town will actively engage with representatives from the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation to gather input on how Fountain Hills’ street and walking networks can better serve all users and improve regional equity.”
“Efforts will include:
- Targeted Outreach: Collaborating with leaders and residents of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation to understand how Fountain Hills’ transportation infrastructure impacts their access to opportunities and regional connections.
- Community Engagement Workshops: Hosting inclusive sessions to gather feedback on specific barriers to safe walking, biking, and driving within Fountain Hills for residents traveling from or to the Nation.
- Equity-Focused Improvements: Using feedback to identify opportunities for enhancing transportation safety and accessibility in Fountain Hills, such as improved pedestrian crossings, better wayfinding, and multimodal infrastructure.
This approach ensures the Town of Fountain Hills addresses equity and reduces barriers to opportunity within its jurisdiction while fostering a collaborative relationship with its neighboring community. By integrating these considerations into the Safety Action Plan, the Town demonstrates its commitment to creating a more inclusive and accessible environment for all.”
Skillicorn condemned the plan saying, “This plan includes a commitment to gender equity, why? This plan mentions greenhouse gases seven times, mentions climate change nine times, mentions environmental justice thirteen times, and mentions equity twenty times. Our town and our nation have rejected wokeness and DEI. Today is a new era of common sense. This is not for our town.”
As referred to by Skillicorn, the grant agreement included a commitment to “prioritized climate change resilience and environmental justice.” It stated, “To address environmental justice, we have engaged with local communities, including those historically affected by environmental disparities, to understand their specific needs and concerns. This engagement informs our plan to incorporate shaded pathways, safe pedestrian areas, and accessible emergency routes, ensuring equitable access to cooler, walkable areas that mitigate urban heat island effects. Together, these actions reflect our commitment to climate adaptation and environmental justice, enhancing the well-being and resilience of all residents.”
Skillicorn followed with a motion to deny what he referred to in a statement to AZ Free News as the “Woke DEI Vision Zero Road Diet Plan.” Vice Mayor Hannah Toth seconded the motion observing, “Of course we want zero pedestrian injuries. My job is to find hidden meanings, often these are not so great in practice. Fifteen Minute Cities sound great but are not. Vision Zero is something I do not feel comfortable inviting into our town.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 26, 2025 | Economy, News
By Daniel Stefanski |
The State of Arizona is fast-tracking a tax reduction policy through the legislature that became a staple of President Donald J. Trump’s campaign platform over the past year.
This week, the Arizona House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means passed HB 2081, which would exempt taxation on tipped wages from the state’s individual income tax.
State Representative Gail Griffin, a Republican who was the sponsor of this legislation, said, “I worked in the service industry years ago and understand the challenges tipped employees face. Tips are an expression of appreciation from customers for services provided. Tips are gifts and, in my opinion, should not be taxed. HB 2081 ensures that Arizonans who rely on tips to support themselves and their families can keep more of their hard-earned money. I’m grateful to Chairman Olson for making this the committee’s first bill for the session.”
Another Republican lawmaker, State Representative Neal Carter, added, “A key feature of a good taxation system is voluntary compliance and simplicity of administration. Tips are often paid in real time and in strange amounts. Taxing tips simply punishes the honest because strict compliance is difficult to achieve.”
As a candidate for President, Trump announced his plan for no federal taxes on tips back in June in the State of Nevada. Shortly after Trump’s announcement last summer, his Democrat opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, mirrored his proposal in an attempt to woo voters on the campaign stump. On Inauguration Day this week, the newly minted Commander in Chief riffed that he thought his campaign may have secured the State of Nevada’s electoral votes in the November General Election because of that promise.
A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research earlier this month showed that 54% of respondents would strongly or somewhat favor eliminating taxes on earnings from tips.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are 2,277,900 waiters and waitresses across the country.
The bill passed the Arizona House committee along a party-line vote – 5-3, with one Democrat member absent.
According to the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from the Republican Liberty Caucus of Arizona, Arizona Licensed Beverage Association, and Fraternal Order of Police AZ State Lodge, signed in to support the bill. Representatives from Living United for Change in Arizona, the Arizona Center for Economic Progress, and Rural Arizona Action opposed the legislation.
HB 2081 will soon make its way to the floor of the Arizona House of Representatives for a vote from the full chamber.
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 25, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
Governor Katie Hobbs is now facing a serious legal challenge from the Goldwater Institute, acting on behalf of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, to put a stop to what Goldwater described as “one of the most significant bureaucratic overreaches in Arizona’s history.”
On Wednesday, Goldwater announced the lawsuit against Arizona’s Democrat Governor stating that Hobbs is “taking illegal actions” that would worsen the state’s ongoing housing crisis by imposing a certification requirement in parts of Maricopa County that, in addition to showing a 100-year groundwater supply, must also meet the dubious standard of “unmet demand.”
Writing for Goldwater, Stacy Skankey explained, “Although the phrase ‘unmet demand’ does not exist in Arizona law, this new rule now requires homebuilders to show a 100-year groundwater supply across the entire water management area (a specially designated area with a reliance on groundwater) rather than at the site of the proposed development. In other words, if a groundwater shortage is projected anywhere within a management area, the Department of Water Resources now claims that there is insufficient groundwater elsewhere in the Valley.”
As reported by AZ Free News in December, Goldwater penned a letter to the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) urging the agency under Hobbs to reconsider its “AMA Wide Unmet Demand Rule,” noting that the new rule was in violation of the law having been imposed without legislative approval or via the required rulemaking process.
According to ADWR, “Unmet demand occurs when the model cannot simulate pumping of all demands included, thereby creating a pumping shortfall or deficit. This pumping shortfall or deficit occurs when there is insufficient saturated aquifer to satisfy the pumping demand (i.e., the depth-to-water level reaches bedrock) or when the depth to water exceeds 1,100 feet after 100 years of simulated pumping.”
Essentially, unmet demand occurs when the state’s modeling is insufficient to predict demand. In other words, the basis for shutting down Arizona housing development is that the Hobbs administration’s simulation doesn’t work.
As noted in an op-ed for the AZ Capitol Times by CEO of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona Jackson Moll and Goldwater Institute Vice President for Litigation Jon Riches, the Phoenix Active Management Area (AMA) Groundwater Model being used by the Hobbs administration, coupled with the ‘unmet demand’ standard, moves the goalposts on developers who have mitigated impact on the state’s water needs for nearly 30 years by replenishing pumped groundwater back into the water table.
Riches said in a statement, “Decisions on vital statewide concerns like the availability of affordable housing and the responsible stewardship of our natural resources should be made through a transparent, democratic process—not imposed by executive fiat.”
Moll added, “Gov. Hobbs’ deeply inaccurate and flawed claim that Arizona is running out of groundwater is having devastating effects on housing affordability in the state, which already ranks among the worst in the country.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Daniel Stefanski | Jan 25, 2025 | News
By Daniel Stefanski |
Another Arizona lawmaker is pushing back against the governor’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
Earlier this week, Arizona State Representative Gail Griffin issued a scathing response to Governor Katie Hobbs’ recently released budget for Fiscal Year 2026. Griffin, the Chairman of the House Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee, wrote, “As usual, the Governor talks a big game on water but does little to prioritize the solutions that matter.”
The all-important issue of “water” in Arizona has been a source of great contention over the past two years with the state’s current status of a divided government. In Hobbs’ State of the State address, she said, “As I said when I stood before you last year, we must act now to protect Arizona’s water. And when the Legislature did not, I did. I remain committed to true, bipartisan reform to protect our groundwater. But mark my words, if this Legislature fails to act. I will… Again. Further, any bills that attack our assured water supply program, undermine our water future, or are political cover for this Legislature’s lack of action on water security, will meet my veto pen.”
Hobbs proposed a $3 million investment to create a Colorado River Litigation Fund to “ensure that The Department of Water Resources (ADWR) has the resources to defend Arizona’s interests and water users who depend on the State’s precious Colorado River entitlement.” The governor also requested another six full-time employees for ADWR “to meet the demanding water policy challenges facing Arizona,” among other proposals from her team, including almost five million dollars for renovations to fish hatcheries across the state.
Representative Griffin also stated, “With Governor Hobbs’ latest proposal, it seems the Governor is more interested in building new homes for fish and birds than building new homes for hard-working Arizonans. Nothing in the Governor’s budget does anything to increase the critical supply of for-sale housing or support the American Dream of home ownership.”
Griffin added, “Arizona House Republicans are committed to advancing fiscally responsible solutions that address our critical housing and water supply issues, preserve the American Dream, and unleash economic prosperity in our state while protecting our individual rights and liberties. We will continue to put the interests of Arizona citizens first – and this will be reflected in our ongoing budget negotiations and proposals.”
The longtime Arizona Republican legislator’s comments about housing and water policies mirrored what two Senate lawmakers in her party had to say following the governor’s state of the state address earlier this month. In a video following the speech, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen said, “We agree with the Governor that home ownership has become unaffordable for many Arizonans… but the Executive’s mandate halting home construction in two of the most booming areas of the valley was irresponsible, and first-time homebuyers are suffering the consequences of sky-high prices.”
Senate President Pro-Tempore T.J. Shope noted, “We must build. We have the water to support the growth. We use the same amount of water today that we did 70 years ago – and we have 6 million more people today! Arizona knows how to conserve water. Right now we have legislation to allow us to continue to grow and build homes while conserving water. Governor, sign our Ag-to-Urban bill. You vetoed it last year. Don’t make the same mistake twice.”
Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
