THATCHER — The three members of the state Legislature representing Graham, Greenlee and Cochise counties are letting residents know that the change in administration in Washington, D.C., means an uncertain future.
“With this whole DOGE thing, I think that we’re going . . . to have to prepare ourselves,” said state Rep. Lupe Diaz, R-Benson.
Diaz said plans call for a House budget to be complete and submitted to the Senate and Governor by February, and expects a special session to be called in the summer once Present-elect Trump’s government cuts — through his proposed Department of Government Efficiency — are put in place.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
Diaz and House mate Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, along with state Sen. David Gowan, R-Sierra Vista, were at Eastern Arizona College Friday morning to talk about the upcoming Legislative session, which begins next week.
All three said they will attempt to block declaration of the Willcox Basin as an Active Management Area, which puts restrictions on water usage.
“The governor decided to thwart the voters. The voters voted no to place an AMA down there,” Gowan said. “They just decided to, arbitrarily, thwart the vote of the people, so your team right here is going to go up and fight for you.”
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
Griffin talked about increased revenues over the past year — in both sales and income taxes — but said more can be done, including bills to reduce taxes on workers and eliminate taxes on tips.
“The economy is strong in the State of Arizona, but not strong enough in rural Arizona,” Griffin said, adding there will also be a bill to stop the outsourcing of jobs.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
During a question and answer period, the issue of funding road improvements came up with Thatcher Mayor Jenny Howard — who sits on the state Transportation Board — saying there’s such a shortfall with Arizona Department of Transportation that ADOT can only maintain 1 percent of the roads under its control.
Gowan said gas taxes can be raised, but only if there is another tax cut by the same amount to offset cost to the consumer. Tax on fuel contributes to the money used by ADOT and local communities for road development and improvement.
Following the presentation, the three members of the Legislature went on a tour of the NatureSweet vegetable growing operation in Bonita, to see how an AMA could impact that business.
