Gov. Napolitano Vetoes HB2575

Governor Janet Napolitano recently vetoed HB2575. The bill would have forced Pinal County to increase its Board of Supervisors from 3 to 5 members.

While all of the Supervisors have consistently supported a 5-member Board for the County, they were opposed to HB2575 because they believe it was flawed legislation which supercedes the right of the voters of Pinal County to have their say about the issue. There is a process which is currently in statutes for residents of a County that would like to expand their Board of Supervisors.

If HB2575 were enacted, it would require outdated census data be used to establish the 5 districts. The measure called for the use of population data collected in the 2000 U.S. Census to create the new districts & this outdated data would not take into effect the change in population & demographics that have taken place since 2000. Furthermore, since Arizona is on the U.S. Department of Justice's watch list, all redistricting efforts must pass a review by the Department for the purposes of ensuring that each district is not discriminating against residents due to ethnicity, language, etc.

The Supervisors were also concerned because the redistricting would not take into account the growth that has occurred in the 6 plus years since the census was taken. Areas like Maricopa & the San Tan area which have experienced significant growth since 2000.

The Board members are also mindful of the cost of bringing 2 more Supervisors onto the Board. Not only are salaries & benefits are to be figured into the equation, but there are additional costs related to staff, benefits, land acquisition & building expenses that have to be considered. Once all the costs are factored in, the total would be over a million dollars to the taxpayers of Pinal County.