ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
county road construction finance
Purpose
Allows the establishment of an infrastructure construction finance revolving fund (revolving fund) by individual counties.
Background
Homes in many rural communities are currently on lots that are divided fewer times than would constitute a legal subdivision in that area. These communities, most often consisting of homes that are owner built, are exempt from local subdivision regulations including road construction and improvement requirements. The result has been a growing number of substandard roads. People living in these areas expect services such as garbage pickup, school bus service and snow removal. Substandard roads often cannot support these types of vehicles. It has also become difficult for counties to fund flood control, water system and sewer system improvements.
Normally, a county improvement district would bond in order to provide funds for infrastructure improvements, but that process has become costly for some counties and bidders are often rare. S.B. 1544 allows for alternative funding plans in order to make needed improvements to roads and other infrastructures in unincorporated county areas.
There is no fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with this measure. According to the County Supervisors Association, the fiscal impact to the county general funds is unknown.
Provisions
1. Allows the county board of supervisors to establish a revolving fund in the county treasury to finance infrastructure construction in unincorporated areas of the county.
2. Allows the board to make payments to the fund from the county general fund, payments from the sale of county bonds for street improvement, forest reserve monies and monies returned to the county from motor vehicle fuel and user taxes.
3. Allows a county to advance monies from this fund to improvement districts to finance the construction or improvement of infrastructures with a total cost per project of $300,000 or less.
4. Stipulates that the portion of the fund derived from monies returned to the county from motor vehicle fuel and user taxes collected by the state may be used only for road construction, improvements and maintenance.
5. Allows the advance to be made through the purchase of bonds, notes or evidence of indebtedness of the district for a term of not more than ten years.
6. Stipulates that the advance is to be paid back from assessments on real property in the district.
7. Allows the advance to be treated as a bond allowing the district to collect assessments.
8. Allows the assessment revenue to be applied toward repayment of the advance and any interest to be deposited in the revolving fund.
9. Requires the district to collect assessments to repay advances from the fund in the same way and with the same procedures as when collecting assessments to repay bonds.
10. Requires the district to pay interest on the advance.
11. Stipulates that all remaining balances of appropriations from the fund after the appropriations lapse must revert back to the fund.
12. Requires the county treasurer to keep the revolving fund separate from all other funds.
13. Provides for a general effective date.
Amendments
Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Allows counties to use funds from the revolving fund to pay for non building improvements such as utility systems, street lighting systems, sidewalks and parking lots as well as roads.
2. Allows funds to be used for all of the same improvements that an improvement district is authorized to construct, operate, and maintain.
Amendments
Adopted by the House of Representatives
1. Specifies the portion of the revolving fund derived from monies returned to the county from motor vehicle fuel and user taxes collected by the state cannot be used for anything other than road construction, improvements and maintenance.
Senate Action House Action
FIN 2/26/01 DP 8-0-0-0 CM 3/20/01 DP 8-0-0-2
3rd Read 2/12/01 28-0-2-0 PIRA 3/27/01 DP 7-0-0-3
Final Read 4/17/01 29-0-1-0 3rd Read 4/10/01 57-0-3-0
Signed by the Governor 4/21/01
Chapter # 184
Prepared by Senate Staff
May 1, 2001