AJ police officers association challenges state budget - Apache Junction Public Issues Forum

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AJ police officers association challenges state budget

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Posted: Fri Jun 26th, 2009 08:27 pm

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This is an Apache Junction Police Officers Association press release:

We the Apache Junction Police Officers Association / Fraternal Order of Police are seeking public support regarding the current state budget situation as it has a significant impact on local municipalities, especially us here in Apache Junction. We are writing to respectfully discourage the Legislature from diverting millions of vehicle license tax (VLT) proceeds and development impact fees from cities and towns. One of the legislative proposals under consideration, as a means to substitute for a state general fund obligation, is to divert city and town VLT funds to school districts. The Arizona State Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) strongly disagrees with this legislative effort.

In addition, the legislative budget proposal contains a major new provision that completely eliminates the ability of cities and towns to collect development impact fees for a period of three years. Development impact fees are paid by builders and developers to pay for the construction of necessary infrastructure such as streets, sewers, police & fire stations, parks and other items that serve new developments. This practice, which already has many statutory limits and rules for implementation, is based on the principle of growth pays for itself. Impact fees cannot be used for salaries or general operations, only to install infrastructure for new development. This prevents those currently living in the community for having to pay higher taxes to support new growth.

The great majority of public safety personnel in Arizona are police officers. Most police officers in Arizona are employed in more than 100 municipal police departments. Public safety is a core responsibility of cities and towns as it is here in Apache Junction. It is our understanding that public safety departments will be adversely impacted should these proceeds be diverted. At this time, diversion of the VLT and impact fees from cities and towns will make it very difficult to maintain police budgets. In addition, with the unemployment rate higher than before property crimes and violence have been on a rise and we cannot afford to reduce public safety personnel or their budgets in protecting our community.

We appreciate the difficult job our elected officials are doing during this difficult financial position of the State of Arizona and thank them. However, public safety is the core government function at both the state and local level. We respectfully discourage the Legislature from diverting any funds away from cities and towns that are used to provide public safety funding and ask for public support in contacting and writing your elected officials to oppose any funds being taken away from towns and cities.

Their Contact Information is:

The Honorable Jan Brewer

Governor of Arizona

1700 West Washington Street

Phoenix. Arizona 85007

Email: http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp

Ph# 602-542-4331

Fax# 602-542-1381

Senator Bob Burns

rburns@azleg.gov

Senate President

(602) 926-5993