Gilbert voters will be asked to approve several provisions on Tuesday’s ballot, including a $174 million bond issue aimed at improving town roads and an $82 million school construction bond package.


Town and school district officials argue proceeds from the bond issues, repaid through homeowner property taxes, will fill vital needs in the growing area.

Traffic congestion is the biggest complaint throughout the town, said Town Councilman Don Skousen.

Queen Creek has the highest per capita municipal debt in Arizona, and neighboring Gilbert ranks seventh for total municipal debt.


The information is reflected in an analysis by the Department of Revenue's Debt Oversight Commission and was released Monday by the Arizona Tax Research Association. Officials from both towns and an analyst with the Arizona Tax Research Association said the rankings aren't surprising with both towns growing and needing the money to put significant infrastructure in place for residents.

Queen Creek has put a lot of time and effort into preserving its small-town feel amid the waves of development washing east from Gilbert and north from Pinal County.


But pushing back against such a tide can require a lot of money, even beyond the expected expenses of dealing with growth within its own borders.

For those of us looking under rocks for the nation's Next Great Financial Crisis - failing investment banks and spiraling home-mortgage disasters? Bah! - bankrupt cities suddenly look promising.


Late last month, the city of Vallejo, Calif., came within hours of declaring bankruptcy, largely because it no longer could bear the weight of the salaries and retirement benefits it pays its employees.

The recently ended state legislative session didn't bring much conclusion to several high-profile proposals affecting Arizona businesses.


A tax cut they sought isn't going to happen.

There will be no limits on medical-malpractice lawsuits.

And the state is not going to try to set up its own guest-worker program to help firms struggling to find qualified workers.

There were a few small victories, however; notably the decision to extend and expand tax credits for research and development.

The Arizona Legislature should not welch on its deal to return some of the sales taxes we pay in Tucson to support Downtown redevelopment.


Members of the Senate Finance Committee were sometimes sarcastic with Downtown redevelopment supporters during a hearing Wednesday in Phoenix. They also expressed disappointment with a presentation by Rio Nuevo Director Greg Shelko.

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.

Taxpayers in Tucson, courtesy of Proposition 200, are being asked to amend the city Charter to strip the current and future City Councils of their authority to establish budgets for the police and fire departments. The Arizona Tax Research Association strongly urges Tucson taxpayers to reject this effort at ballot-box budgeting.

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.


TEP has now joined with the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Pima Alliance, the Arizona Multihousing Association and Cox Cable as business organizations opposed to the Public Safety First Initiative.

Everybody knows there's no avoiding taxes


But few people know - or seem to care - what happens to the taxes collected by their home cities so long as needed services are provided.

Even fewer can honestly say if they are getting good value for the money they hand over every month in property taxes, service fees and the "invisible" tax contributions they make every time they go shopping.