The Pima County Board of Supervisors will meet behind closed doors in Executive Session today during their public meeting to receive legal advice and about their possible responses to the Goldwater Institute’s October 10, 2014 letter to the Chair threatening legal action with respect to individual Supervisors’ allocations of office operating expenses to community based nonprofit organizations.
Also scheduled on the supervisors’ agenda is a public discussion and possible action based on that legal advice. At issue is whether the supervisors will adopt a policy that is in conformance with the State’s Gift Clause.
For years, the supervisors have ignored the provisions of the Gift Clause and have given their preferred charities and non-profit organizations public monies without tangible public benefit.
According to Jared Blanchard with the Goldwater Institute, “As it currently stands, the Pima County Board of Supervisors have failed to present any evidence that the taxpayer money being gifted from individual office budgets to nonprofits has any strings attached. As that is the case, it appears that this practice is in violation of the Arizona Constitution’s Gift Clause. The Arizona Gift Clause requires that any taxpayer money given to private parties provide tangible benefits of equal value in return. Should the Board fail to cease its illegal practice within 30 days, the Goldwater Institute is prepared to defend the interest of taxpayers in court.”
The clock is ticking and has been since October 10, when attorneys with the Goldwater Institute contacted the members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors about the practice.
Supervisor Ally Miller’s staff discovered that for years, the supervisors have quietly used their office budget funds to fund their pet projects and favored charities. Miller attempted to work with the other supervisors to end the apparently illegal practice, but they rebuffed her efforts.
Last week, they rebuffed the taxpayers who showed up at their meeting to discuss the issue when Chair Supervisor Sharon Bronson abruptly ended the Call to the Audience portion of the meeting.
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According to sources, many attendees had submitted speakers’ cards to the Clerk of the Board, however those requests were ignored because Bronson would not permit any discussion of Agenda Item #4 (the use of public money for private non-profit enterprises). Seconds after Bronson asked if there were any more speakers, a Pima County resident indicated that she wanted to be heard, Bronson then immediately slammed the gavel down.
The contributions have raised the public’s ire when it was discovered that some of the organizations who received donations from the supervisors also donated to the supervisors’ re-election campaigns. The appearance of a quid pro quo has created a stir in the community and left some calling for the recall of Board members.
To view the supervisors’ spending, click here.
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