Prop 400 is on the Ballot on August 26th

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The Town of Florence primary election is on August 26th.  In addition to filling 3 Town Council seats, the voters will be asked if Florence’s local home rule option (Prop 400) should be approved for another 4 years.  

A “yes” vote on Prop 400 represents that you want your local government to adopt a local Town budget without constraints from a state-imposed expenditure limitation.  A “no” vote on prop 400 represents that you want a state-imposed expenditure limitation formula to restrict the amount of funds your local government spends for the next 4 years. 

Prop 400 is not a taxation issue.  A “yes” or “no” vote has no impact on the amount of money the Town collects in taxes or fees.  A “no” vote does not reduce taxes or fees and a “yes” vote does not increase taxes or fees.  Prop 400 is specifically a spending issue.  In other words, home rule has nothing to do with how much in revenue is collected; only how much the Town can spend.   

For example, if the voters vote “no” on Prop 400, then the state would impose their expenditure limitation formula on the Town and the total amount the town could spend in fiscal year 2015/2016 is $20,056,093.  If the voters vote “yes”, then the Town determines its own budget and is expected to spend $37,885,135 in that same timeframe. 

The state-imposed expenditure limitation does not affect the amount of revenues the Town collects.  If home rule is not passed by the voters, the Town will continue to collect the same amount of revenues, through taxes, fees, grants, and other similar means, but can only spend the amount that is identified through the state imposed expenditure limitation formula.  

Arizona voters amended the state constitution in 1980 to limit the growth of local government spending from year-to-year and created the law that gives voters the ability to determine how much money their local governments spend.  Florence voters first approved the local home option alternative in 1982 and have approved it every four years since by wide vote margins. 

The Town of Florence encourages all eligible citizens to vote in our primary election on August 26th.  For more information on the expenditure limitation, please visit www.florenceaz.gov (need link), or the State of Arizona Office of the Auditor General’s website, at http://azauditor.gov/Reports/Cities_Towns/FAQs/CT_FAQ_Main.html