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Cities called, they want their road funds back
This is what the Founders called "Taxation without Representation". And it is one of the reasons they overthrew the British government in American. When elected officials in city governments tax the krap out of people the solution is for the voters to throw the bums out of office. Elected officials in city government love it when they can get the STATE of Arizona to tax the krap out of you, and then give the money to them. That way voters won't be able to throw their *sses out of office. I am sure the Founders would call these local elected officials government tyrants just like King George. If George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were alive today I suspect they would consider Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell, Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny, and Lake Havasu Mayor Mark Nexsen to be tyrants just like King George.
Source Cities called, they want their road funds back Mark Mitchell, Jay Tibshraeny and Mark Nexsen, Special for The Republic | azcentral.com 9:11 a.m. MST January 29, 2016 With city and state revenues back in the black, jobs on the rise and commercial development trending in the right direction, it’s important to remember the upswing in Arizona’s economy didn’t happen by accident. Mayors and city council members across the state make economic development a policy priority each and every day. Our 91 cities and towns are on the front lines of business attraction and are partners with Governor Ducey and our Legislature in attracting high-quality jobs to our state. We like to think of cities and towns as creating the canvases for people to succeed and realize their dreams. We know that entrepreneurs and CEOs looking to start or expand their businesses have options. One of the key drivers in their decision-making is the quality of services provided by cities and towns. To meet these needs, your dollars are spent wisely on services like police and fire protection, clean water, parks, libraries and trash collection. Investments in roads, transit, infrastructure and technology are also critical in helping to attract businesses and improve the quality of life for residents. That is why it’s so important that our partners in the Legislature protect our system of sharing revenues with the state so that cities and towns can continue to provide the core services our residents have come to expect. Decades ago, Arizona voters clearly outlined this system of per capita revenue sharing between the state and municipalities. Restore funding for roads Equally important is fully restoring our Highway Revenue User Funds (HURF) to ensure our communities have the ability to pay for critical street maintenance and road-construction projects. Imagine for a moment if traffic didn’t move efficiently, if neighborhoods weren’t safe or cities didn’t invest in the infrastructure companies needed to expand. People would not want to move to our communities and companies that care about the well-being of their workers would simply look elsewhere. Arizona lifted production caps, which helped breweries such as Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe. (Photo: Four Peaks Brewing Company) As mayors, we take pride in attracting, retaining and growing businesses. Yet we understand there are many areas we can – and have – partnered with the state to help these businesses flourish. For example, Four Peaks Brewing Company in Tempe, along with other breweries, received much-needed help last year from the state in lifting burdensome production caps on brewers. But long before that, the city played a key role in fostering an entrepreneurial environment for homegrown businesses like Four Peaks to grow into national brands. We were thrilled to hear Governor Ducey mention in his State of State speech that innovators like those at TechShop in Chandler received greater freedoms to crowdfund to help build their dreams. But that facility, known as an “inventor’s paradise,” wouldn’t have happened without city support and resources. In Lake Havasu City, the City Council is working with a developer to build a 123-room, high-end hotel near the waterfront area. Scheduled to open in 2017, it will be a huge catalyst for economic development, bringing 150 construction jobs and nearly 100 full and part-time jobs. We are excited that Governor Ducey’s consistent message has been to aggressively sell Arizona’s assets to the world. It’s equally important to know that cities and towns are a key part of that sales force. Mark Mitchell is mayor of Tempe, Jay Tibshraeny is mayor of Chandler and Mark Nexsen is mayor of Lake Havasu City. The mayors are president, vice president and treasurer, respectively, of theLeague of Arizona Cities and Towns.
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