By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services/Arizona Daily Star
There is nothing wrong with state lawmakers balancing their budget by shifting costs to Pima and Pinal counties, even if it forces residents to pay even higher taxes, attorneys for the state argued Thursday.
John Lopez IV, the state’s solicitor general, did not dispute that legislators balanced the budget for the new fiscal year that began Wednesday by eliminating a requirement that the state make up what schools would be shorted if local taxes were too high. Challengers say the move will cost Pima County $18.4 million and more than $7.6 million for Pinal County.
Lopez was unimpressed.
