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Legislative session leaves Prescott watching budget, local-control fights
Summary
Lobbyists for Prescott summarized a prolonged Arizona legislative session on June 24, reporting wins on accessory-dwelling-unit language, defeat of a statewide lot-size preemption bill, protection for the city's food-tax revenue, and possible state funding for the Prescott Airport; budget negotiations and a potential shutdown remain unresolved.
Alexis Fassdorff of State 48 Public Affairs and Nick Ponder of High Ground Public Affairs told the Prescott City Council on June 24 that the Arizona Legislature remained in an extended session and that several high-priority items affecting Prescott were still unsettled.
Fassdorff said a 2024 accessory-dwelling-unit law had been amended this year to clarify that the expansion allowed last year applies only to communities with populations of 75,000 and above, a change she said preserved local control for smaller cities such as Prescott. She also reported that a bill to compel uniform minimum lot sizes across municipalities (referred to in the presentation as Senate Bill 1229) was amended during the process and ultimately died in committee.
The consultants described a contentious budget fight in Phoenix. The house and the senate presented competing budget numbers; Fassdorff said the house was working from an estimate closer to $277 million in surplus while the senate and governor's office used higher figures. That disagreement left some projects uncertain and raised the prospect of a short-term continuation budget or a government shutdown if leaders could not reconcile differences.
Fassdorff and Ponder said Prescott had several positive outcomes under consideration: both regular house and senate budget bills included $3.5 million for a Prescott Airport fire-service ramp and funds to transfer rodeo-related revenue to the city. They also said congressional earmark requests had included $3 million for the Prescott Airport in a proposed federal spending bill, though that remained subject to the federal process. The presenters urged continued local engagement to preserve those allocations.
The pair highlighted a bill on "instant" solar permitting (referred to in the presentation as bill 2033) that Prescott staff had flagged as a risk because rapid, low‑oversight permitting could create safety and disposal problems for photovoltaic equipment. Fassdorff credited outreach by city staff and legislators for stopping that measure in its original form.
On local revenue, Fassdorff said amendments would preserve the rate of Prescott's voter-approved food-tax measure and that a statewide referral would ask voters in 2026 whether municipalities may preserve such local revenues; local lobbyists had pushed to keep the decision with municipal voters.
Ponder and Fassdorff urged continued council engagement with legislators, noting that divided government and narrow margins in the statehouse can create both obstacles and opportunities for targeted advocacy.
"This has been a really, really historical and interesting legislative session to be a part of," Fassdorff said. "We are really excited to report some really positive outcomes to you all today."
