Municipal and County Government

It was another rough week for supporters of the Public Safety First Initiative, aka Proposition 200, which would require the city of Tucson to hire at least 333 cops and 70 firefighters over the next five years. First, in a long-rumored power play, Tucson Electric Power formally announced opposition to Prop 200.

Within minutes of hearing discussions of residential private golf course memberships, hilltop views and the actual market value of luxury homes in north Scottsdale, a hearing officer with the Arizona State Board of Equalization reached a conclusion - the value of Dennis Grose’s home had been overestimated by the office of Maricopa County Assessor Keith Russell by almost $250,000 dollars.

Homeowners could be on the hook for a larger portion of taxes to pay for city, county and school district bonds and overrides if the governor goes along with a provision in the budget just approved by the Legislature. For any election after June 30, the bill essentially cuts the ratio at which businesses are assessed to pay off those voter-approved obligations, from 22 percent to 10 percent — the same ratio at which homes are now evaluated.

PHOENIX - Arizona House Republican leaders sharpened their budget-balancing proposal Monday, saying provisions to get hundreds of millions of dollars from municipalities and school districts now include sweeteners and, for the cities and towns, would be voluntary. The Republican leaders formally introduced 10 bills to implement their version of the proposal - Senate GOP leaders have a similar one - and scheduled a Tuesday meeting for the House Appropriations Committee to act on it.