Arizona Supreme Court Rejects Pima County Lawsuit, Huckelberry Demands Tax Increase
The Arizona Supreme Court has rejected Pima County’s request for a Special Action against the State of Arizona. The Court was silent on the merits when it declined to take jurisdiction, but ordered the County to pay the costs of the lawsuit.
Supervisor Ally Miller was the lone “no” vote last month when County Administrator asked the Board of Supervisors to support his lawsuit scheme.
As the Arizona Daily Independent reported earlier, because the County has been unwilling to live within its means for years, Pima County filed suit in June asking the Court to order the State to continue to pick up the tab for its recklessness.
The Pima County administrator is unhappy that the 35-year-old constitutional amendment caps counties’ property taxes at 1 percent.
Previously, the state backfilled money when the cap was ignored. With the state facing financial issues, it is now only able to pay up to $1 million per county in additional state aid.
Supervisor Miller said after the decision, “I think it’s very unfortunate Pima County decided to file a lawsuit against the State. It would have been more productive had we worked to come to a resolution that did not involve litigation. Now taxpayers are faced with paying for outside counsel the County hired for this case as well as the legal fees incurred by the State.”
Undaunted, Chuck Huckelberry has instructed attorneys to proceed with the suit in Maricopa County Superior Court. In a memo delivered just hours after the decision, Huckelberry wrote, “… the County will now be required to adopt the new tax rate approved at the Final Budget Hearing, which includes an increase in the tax levy….”