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Mesa opposes cuts to shared tax revenue
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Two years ago, the state was looking at a $1 billion surplus. This year, it faces a $1 billion deficit. How does Mesa plan to deal with that as it heads to the Legislature in January?
“Defense, defense, defense,” said Scott Butler, government relations director for the city.
Butler presented the city’s legislative agenda on Monday to the Mesa Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Ordinarily, the city has several issues for which it might lobby the Legislature.
This year, there are a couple on the agenda, including one that would make it easier to finish the Williams Gateway Freeway, but mainly Butler plans to strongly oppose cuts to revenue shared with the cities.
The state-shared revenue comes from a few different sources, including sales tax and state income tax.
“We are making sure no cap is placed on those,” said Brent Stoddard, of the government relations office, adding that the city would oppose “any attempt to raid” the other sources of state-shared revenue promised to the cities.
Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said that cities and towns have refused to participate in past tax reduction efforts, “so it’s hard to be real sympathetic.”
Pearce is chairman of the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.
When it comes to cutting spending, Pearce said the state constitution states an obligation to public safety, education and transportation.
Beyond that, if it’s a proper program, Pearce said he would do what he could to help.
The city’s legislative team also plans to expand a program to accelerate the construction of the Williams Gateway Freeway, which would extend the Santan Freeway south to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and east into Pinal County.
The Legislature created the Highway Project Advancement Notes program in 2000 that allowed cities to sell the notes to further freeway construction.
But the program prevents cities from having more than $100 million in those notes at any one time, a number that Butler said is outdated, considering that one mile of highway now costs about $75 million.
It would be better if the Legislature could tweak that limit up to $300 million, Butler said.
The city used the notes program in the past to extend Loop 202 from Country Club Drive to Gilbert Road.
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