Bill to increase County’s Board passes first test; would establish Maricopa as political hotspot if passed

House Bill 2575, a bill that changes the number of county supervisors from three to five has passed its first reading after being heard by the Counties, Municipalities and Military Affairs Committee and the House Rules Committee. Representatives Cheryl Chase, Laura Knaperek and John Nelson are the bill’s sponsors. It is co-sponsored by Representatives Andy Biggs and Bill Konopnicki and Senator Jim Waring.

The bill changes the language of Arizona Revised Statutes 11-211 (ARS 11-211) and 11-212 to require any county with a population estimate in excess of 150,000, as determined by the Arizona Department of Economic Security, in any year for the first seven years following the decennial census, to order a special census. If it is determined by the special census that the actual county population is in excess of 200,000 then the county shall redistrict for the election of five supervisors at the next Presidential election.

If passed, the bill will require Pinal, Yavapai, Mohave and Yuma Counties to order special censuses, likely requiring that all four counties redistrict for the election of five supervisors for the 2008 election year. With the redistricting in Pinal County, Maricopa is likely to be the largest population center in one of the new districts.

The statutes have always required counties with a population over 200,000 to elect five supervisors if the population threshold was obtained prior to the decennial census. Pinal County crossed the threshold in 2003, but it is not required to change to five supervisors until 2012 by the existing statutes. Both Yavapai and Mohave Counties have likely crossed the threshold this year and also would not be required to convert to five supervisors until 2012. Yuma County is also crossing the threshold, but has already converted to five supervisors per the vote of the electorate.

Both Cochise and Coconino Counties will be impacted by this legislative modification probably shortly after the 2010 decennial census. Under the existing statutes counties crossing the population threshold early in the next decade would not be required to convert to five supervisors until the year 2024.

“Five-supervisor management puts more heads together to resolve the complexities of a growing county,” according to Bill Bridwell, president of the Western Pinal Republican Club and member of the Arizona GOP Executive Board. “Five-Supervisor management permits two supervisors to meet and discuss issues at length without violating open meeting laws.”

“In a three-supervisor system, no two supervisors can ever discuss complex issues with each other outside of the constraints of a public meeting called for that purpose,” said Bridwell, who ran against Supervisor David Snider for the District 3 county supervisor seat. “The result is better decision making.”

Bill Bridwell (center) and family during his 2004 bid for county supervisor.

Bridwell also addressed the large territories the politicans are forced to serve saying, “Three supervisors have difficulty physically traversing the miles between population centers, and it impacts their ability to clearly understand the needs of a particular community in their district. Five-supervisor districts will not totally resolve that issue, but it will help.”

Supervisor Snider expressed his concerns with the bill, saying, “As it currently stands HB 2575 may have several ‘flaws’ in its language. My first concern is that the bill calls for the County to conduct a special census: the estimated cost of a special census is $1.5 million. There is no state funding mechanism contained in HB 2575. Inasmuch as this is an activity that’s not attached to any current program, in order to comply, the Board will have to consider what will not be done — paving roads? — in order to fund the special census out of the County’s General Fund.”

Supervisor Snider during recent office hours in Maricopa.

“Furthermore, there is some research that suggests that the data collected by a special census may not provide the necessary information needed by the U.S. Department of Justice, which must review and approve any changes in our districts,” Snider continued. “Finally, HB 2575 also impacts several other counties. Although Mohave County is also immediately affected, there are several more counties that will certainly fall under the provisions of the bill outside of the decennial census cycle.”

Bridwell discounted Snider’s economic concerns stating that the investment was worth it. “The Pinal County Board of Supervisors manages a $250 million budget. A $5 million investment that will result in better management of that budget is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.”