Editor’s note: With the New Year underway, Flagstaff Business News decided to reach out to area lawmakers to learn more about their plans for 2014.
Local representatives in Washington D.C. have a lot on their legislative plates this year; upcoming sessions will include discussions on budgets, health care, jobs, and immigration reform, among others. District One’s Congresswoman, Ann Kirkpatrick, is focused on economic development for the year ahead. “District One is large and diverse, but the common thread throughout our district is jobs. In Northern Arizona, I’ll continue to fight for the Grand Canyon and our local economies by opposing uranium mining at the canyon and supporting our national parks and outdoor treasures that draw millions of visitors and help our small businesses thrive,” she said.
Kirkpatrick spent time in 2013 assisting military veterans throughout her sprawling district. “As Arizona’s only member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I’ll keep pushing for better ways to serve our veterans, cut the VA backlog and ensure they have the resources they deserve.” The congresswoman has introduced a bill to assist rural veterans in gaining access to mental health care and another bill to encourage construction on nursing homes for vets.
As a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Kirkpatrick also will continue work on infrastructure issues to improve Arizona’s rural highways, regional airports and waterways.
Like Kirkpatrick, Congressman Paul Gosar plans to focus on jobs in 2014. Gosar, who represented District One for a term before being elected to District Four, serves Western Arizona from the Utah border to Yuma. “One of my highest priorities remains the enactment of my jobs bill, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act,” explained Gosar. “This legislation facilitates the expansion of the Resolution Copper mine near Superior, which would create more than 3,700 local jobs, generate approximately $61.4 billion in economic activity and supply 25 percent or more of the nation’s domestic copper demand.”
Gosar, who ran a dental office in Flagstaff for 25 years, is optimistic Congress will enact forest health legislation this year to help prevent destructive wildfires. In addition, Gosar steadfastly opposes changes in the nation’s healthcare policies. “It’s critical that Congress repeals and, most importantly, replaces Obamacare with a patient-centered, market-based alternative like the replacement bill I helped write, the American Health Care Reform Act.”
Chairman for the Coconino County Board of Supervisors Matt Ryan says in January, county officials will prioritize federal legislation issues. A primary focus for the New Year will involve transportation. “Our first priority is to restore funding through the Highway User Revenue Fund [HURF]. Since 2008, the state has swept $4.1 million in HURF intended for county road and infrastructure maintenance to fund state functions, including the Arizona Department of Public Safety,” explained Ryan. “In addition to restoring HURF, we will also work with our legislators to identify long-term solutions for transportation funding.”
The Board of Supervisors also may pursue an amendment to allow counties to regulate the sale of fireworks. Ryan says that while current law prohibits local governments from regulations on the sale of permissible consumer fireworks, that could change, and he would like to see that local authority tied to restrictions in the event of high fire danger.
Like the supervisors, Flagstaff City Council will address some of the same issues, including transportation. Councilwoman Karla Brewster agrees with Ryan that the state should return some of the HURF funding as well as the state’s shared revenues, both of which could assist with general funding issues. Brewster has a long list of priorities for 2014: continuing to support forest health, securing the city’s water source by obtaining the right of way for Red Gap and finding a method for funding the project, enhancing economic development tools, and finding a way to fund both the Rio de Flag flood control issue and the Lone Tree interchange.
Fellow Councilmember Mark Woodson’s 2014 legislative wish list starts with getting the Flagstaff Regional Plan approved, wrapping up years of work by community members and, more recently, the Council. Even though any plan detailing the city’s future will have opponents, Woodson thinks elected officials have done their due diligence. “That was at least my goal, and many on the Council, to increase the amount of support, even if we had to make some changes.”
Woodson, who was appointed to the Council to fill a vacancy nearly two years ago, says infrastructure maintenance is a focus for him and the Council. Because the county and other governmental entities are looking for methods of funding road improvements and upkeep, he says the effort will be collaborative.
In a phone interview, Woodson described his other priorities: doing another utility rate study and moving forward on the core facilities maintenance facility. Also, Woodson wants to maintain a better than average level of recreational services for the community. “I think it makes for a good healthy community, vitality in the community, which then pays dividends in other ways throughout the community,” said Woodson of the city’s recreational offerings for residents and tourists alike.
Flagstaff Mayor Jerry Nabours says the process of creating goals happens regularly among the Flagstaff City Council members and with collaborations among other agencies. City budget issues include analyzing high turnover at the Flagstaff Police Department and pension reform. Nabours says many cities, like Detroit, are struggling with the cost of contributions to pension systems, an issue that will likely be in the forefront for a long time.
Sedona Mayor Rob Adams wants his city to develop a strategic plan and implement the recently completed Community Plan update in 2014. As a member of the Greater Arizona Mayor’s Association, Adams plans to advocate that the state legislature restore funding to state parks, while also addressing water issues for rural Arizona.
Adams reflected similar economic issues shared by most people interviewed for this article. “And as a member of the Executive Board of the League of Cities and Towns, I want to work with state legislators to create sustainable job growth and business expansion in Arizona.” FBN
Written by Theresa Bierer