Arizona’s Municipal Tax Code Commission (MTCC) hasn’t met in over three years, spelling trouble for the state’s taxpayers and businesses.
The issue was the focal point of a report issued by Auditor General Lindsey Perry on Tuesday. Perry warned that continued inactivity would have an inevitable, adverse impact on Arizona’s cities and towns. That, and the inactivity runs counter to state law.
As Perry noted, every one of the MTCC member’s terms expired last October without successors. State law allows members whose terms have expired to continue serving in the position until a successor is appointed.
At present, there are three who continue their expired terms: Chairman René Lopez, Jr., a councilman for the city of Chandler; Jerry Weiers, mayor of Glendale; and Jim Waring, a councilman for the city of Phoenix.
MTCC’s last meeting was in May 2019, despite receiving three proposed amendments to consider last year for the Model City Tax Code (MCTC): the uniform sales and use tax act that facilitates economic order. State law requires MTCC to hold a public hearing within 60 days of receiving a proposed amendment.
Perry recommended that Governor Doug Ducey, State House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R-Mesa), and State Senate President Karen Fann (R-Prescott) abide by state statute and appoint members to meet quorum.
MTCC has 10 members: an Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) representative, and nine mayors or council members from various cities that serve three-year terms. The governor appoints five members, while the senate president and house speaker each appoint two members.
Lopez issued a response letter last month agreeing to Perry’s recommendations.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
When confronted by reporters and supporters in person on Wednesday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Hobbs wouldn’t elaborate on her refusal to debate her Republican opponent, Kari Lake.
Hobbs abandoned an interview when a Yellow Sheet Report reporter asked her why she won’t debate Lake, as well as dismissed a similar question from a female supporter.
Hobbs refused to provide the reporter with proof that she proposed a debate format to the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission (AZCCEC). After the reporter challenged Hobbs’ assertion that she had offered debate format changes, Hobbs stated that their conversation wasn’t productive and left the interview after less than three minutes.
When one of Hobbs’ female supporters asked her why she wouldn’t debate Lake, Hobbs told the woman that they would talk about it later.
.@FOX10Phoenix: "@katiehobbs was asked first by a supporter on campus, "Why she didn't want to take the stage to debate with Republican nominee @KariLake. She told the woman, quote, "Let's talk about this later."
Hobbs never proposed changes to the debate format. Rather, Hobbs proposed something else entirely: two back-to-back town halls, effectively two interviews. The AZCCEC rejected Hobbs’ proposal earlier this month.
AZCCEC voted to reject the request to replace the standard debate format with separate 30-minute interviews and will give its staff & the campaigns of Katie Hobbs and Kari Lake 7 days to find an acceptable format to both parties. View the meeting here https://t.co/6rnR5TVjq4.
Hobbs effectively told Fox News that Lake wasn’t debatable. Hobbs’ campaign manager, Nicole DeMont, said during the AZCCEC meeting earlier this month that Lake wasn’t capable of a substantive debate because she was a conspiracy theorist.
TODAY: @katiehobbs campaign manager Nicole DeMont said @KariLake wanted to create a spectacle, not have a debate: "You can't debate a conspiracy theorist. … When she starts to come back to reality [then] we can have a debate." pic.twitter.com/6JVZHb3DwP
Last week, Lake requested the AZCCEC to extend an “open invitation” for Hobbs to debate her. At this point, Lake will have a Q&A session set up by AZCCEC on the scheduled debate day, October 12.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Friday, Congressman Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04) requested that the Department of Justice (DOJ) turn over all records concerning an Arizona man accused of working as a federal informant: Ray Epps.
In a press release, Gosar said it was suspicious that Epps was never arrested or charged with a crime despite inciting illegal activity. Last January 5 and 6, Epps encouraged and directed protestors to breach the Capitol building.
“If the Department of Justice has nothing to hide and is genuinely interested in what happened on January 6, they should release every piece of information relating to Ray Epps’ involvement on that day,” stated Gosar. “Then and only then will the American people know what really happened.”
The first to question Epps’ January 6 involvement was Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY-04) last October. Massie asked Attorney General Merrick Garland whether federal agents were present and encouraged protestors to go into the U.S. Capitol on January 6.
I questioned Attorney General Garland about whether there were Federal Agents present on 1/6 and whether they agitated to go into the Capitol. Attorney General Garland refused to answer. pic.twitter.com/RHq3Yd2pbu
Further details about Epps’ January 6 involvement were uncovered through investigative reporting by Darren Beattie, Revolver News founder and former White House speechwriter.
Our biggest and most comprehensive investigative piece yet
Meet Ray Epps…the apparent orchestrator of the Capitol breach on 1/6 https://t.co/saTntaxk7O
Epps appeared on the FBI Capitol Violence Most Wanted List within several days of the January 6 riot. The public and mainstream media identified him quickly. However, the FBI didn’t arrest or charge Epps. Last July, they removed Epps from their list.
A year later, this July, TheNew York Times featured Epps in an article discussing how accusations of federal informacy ruined his life. Epps said that he and his wife plan to file a defamation lawsuit against those levying accusations of government collusion. Elsewhere, he cited Revolver News and Fox News’ Tucker Carlson as the main sources of many of his problems.
Epps also claimed to the outlet that he avoided arrest because he reached out to the FBI on January 8, the day that the agency included his picture on their Most Wanted list. After less than an hour on the phone, and a March 2021 in-person interview with federal agents, the FBI reportedly cleared Epps of wrongdoing.
In January, the House’s January 6 Committee revealed that they spoke with Epps. According to their account of the private interview, the committee said that Epps denied any involvement as a law enforcement informant or employee.
The Select Committee is aware of unsupported claims that Ray Epps was an FBI informant based on the fact that he was on the FBI Wanted list and then was removed from that list without being charged.
Epps was the former president of the Oath Keepers Arizona chapter. The Oath Keepers are a militia organization that believes the federal government is controlled by figures attempting to take away American rights. According to archives of the chapter website, Epps served as president from 2011 until at least 2014. Another individual, Gerald Rhoades, served as the chapter’s vice president.
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was arrested for his role in the January 6 Capitol riot. Although 10 other Oath Keepers faced charges as well, Epps didn’t.
AZ Free News reached out to Epps for comment, and to ask him about his thoughts on the trials against January 6 participants. He didn’t respond by press time.
Extended Notes on the Timeline:
January 5-6, 2021: In one video, Epps advanced along the path where his group of fellow protestors pushed back the barricade around the Capitol. In another video, Epps declared that he and other protestors were “holding ground” while inside restricted Capitol grounds.
January 8, 2021: The FBI includes Epps in their Capitol Violence Most Wanted list, identified as the now-deleted Photograph #16. Epps claimed in a later interview with New York Times that “a family member” notified him that same day that “the FBI issued a be-on-the-lookout alert in his name.” The FBI never identified Epps by name. Epps told the outlet that he called the FBI tip line to turn himself in, and spoke with agents for less than an hour. Epps wasn’t arrested.
January 11, 2021: The Arizona Republicinterviews Epps. At the time, Epps refused to comment on whether he knew he was on the FBI’s list. Epps denied that he wanted people to go “into the Capitol,” as he said in video evidence, but rather “go in the doors like everyone else. It was totally, totally wrong the way they [the protestors] went in.”
March 2021: Epps reportedly spoke again with federal agents, this time in person. He told them that he tried to calm down protestors, not incite them, as confirmed by a New York Times review of interview transcripts, which weren’t shared.
January 11, 2022: The House’s January 6 Committee discloses that they spoke with Epps, though they don’t publicize the interview. FBI official Jill Sanborn refuses to give details about Epps to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
March 29, 2022: The DOJ promises to provide a “disclosure” about Epps to several individuals facing charges related to the January 6 riot. An attorney for Epps, John Blischak, toldPolitico that Epps provided “a full disclosure” to the House January 6 Committee.
July 13, 2022: New York Times features Epps in “A Trump Backer’s Downfall as the Target of a Jan. 6 Conspiracy Theory,” discussing how allegations of federal conspiracy ruined his life.
August 30, 2022: Shortly after the Mar-a-Lago raid, former President Donald Trump posted a debunked claim about Epps’ wife previously working for Dominion Voting Machines on his Truth Social account. Epps’ wife worked for an unaffiliated company, Dominion Enterprises.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
State transportation officials are celebrating that the Federal Highway Administration has approved Arizona’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan, one of the first states in the country to receive approval.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) announced the news Thursday after its draft proposal was submitted in August. The approval of “AZ EV Plan” means $11.3 million of $75.6 million allocated for Arizona in the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be made immediately available to ADOT.
Another $16.3 million will be released to Arizona in October, with the remainder available over the next five years to support AZ EV Plan.
With the approval in hand, ADOT can now solicit and award contracts to upgrade existing electric vehicle stations as well as develop new locations along designated alternative fuel corridors. The plan calls for charging stations to be no more than 50 miles apart wherever possible, according to ADOT.
Some goals of AZ EV Plan is to reduce “range anxiety” for drivers of electric vehicles by closing gaps in the charging network. The plan currently designates the five federal interstate highways which cross Arizona (I-8, I-10, I-15, I-17, and I-19) as alternative fuel corridors.
Those interstates account for more than 20 percent of all vehicle miles traveled in Arizona, ADOT says. The AZ EV Plan is also focused on ensuring the network is resilient, equitable, accessible, and reliable.
Advertising for bids to upgrade existing stations will begin in Spring 2023 with bid solicitations for new construction projects in Autumn 2023. In many cases, stations will be located close to existing infrastructure such as truck stops, roadside lodging, restaurants, and shopping centers.
Other non-interstate corridors will be determined and included in the plan in future years. The next update to the plan is set to occur in August 2023.
Arizona Public Health Association (AZPHA) director Will Humble claimed on Tuesday that a majority of parents aren’t vaccinating their children for COVID-19 because of inaccessibility. Yet, there are hundreds of vaccination locations that offer the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 12 years.
Humble, also the former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services (AZDHS), explained to KJZZ Phoenix that low vaccination rates were also caused by health care providers having to contend with federal hurdles to obtain the COVID-19 vaccines. On top of that, Humble claimed that parents were dissuaded by the bureaucratic onboarding process associated with child COVID-19 vaccines. Humble didn’t mention concern over the controversies on the vaccine’s side effects or efficacy.
“It’s a hassle for parents to find the shot,” said Humble. “The easier you make it for parents, the better vaccination rates you’ll have.”
Curious why it's been so hard for parents to find a #COVID vaccine for their little kids?
Tune to 91.5 @kjzzphoenix' The Show at 9am for the scoop.
“It is a hassle for kids under three because you can’t go to a pharmacy and the public health emergency ended before a vaccine [for them] was even approved,” said Humble.
There are 101 vaccination locations that offer the COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 6 months to 5 years old: 57 in the Phoenix area, 13 in the Tucson area, and the remainder scattered across the state.
There are even more vaccination locations that offer the COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 12: about 330, with about 200 in the Phoenix area alone, and over 50 in the Tucson area.
Nearly 74 percent of the Arizona population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine. Of those under 20 years old, over 720,300 (37 percent) received at least one COVID-19 vaccine.
In June, the CDC recommended that children as young as 6 months old receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Their permission came a month after they approved booster shots for children as young as 5 years old.
Children 6 months and older are now eligible for a #COVID19 vaccine.
If you have questions, talk to your child’s doctor or pharmacist about your concerns and discuss what’s best to keep your family safe & healthy.
As of last Wednesday, total COVID deaths comprised one percent of over 2.2 million reported cases — about 31,100 deaths, which included comorbidities and disproportionately occurred among the elderly. Only 69 deaths (0 percent) occurred in those under the age of 20. 71 percent of all deaths occurred in those aged 65 and older.
AZDHS warned earlier this week that unvaccinated individuals were 47 times more likely to die from COVID-19.
