| By
Nate Searing
SIERRA
VISTA HERALD
July 18, 2003
SIERRA
VISTA
-- New figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show population growth in
Cochise
County
lags behind urban counties, signaling a continuation in the trend of
less political representation and financial support on the state
level for county residents.
The census study depicts population growth in
Arizona
cities and counties over the past 27 months. Since that time,
Cochise
County
population has grown by about 2.3 percent -- an amount dwarfed by a
7.5 percent jump in
Maricopa
County
.
For cities, the effects are similar. Where
Sierra Vista
added about 1,220 people,
Phoenix
ballooned by approximately 50,900.
More people in Maricopa and Pima counties translates into
less political representation for rural counties like Cochise,
County Administrator Jody Klein said in an e-mail Tuesday.
"We just went through a redistricting process, and quite
frankly,
Cochise
County
got the leftovers in the process," Klein said.
Redistricting involves redefining the areas legislators represent,
based on population statistics, equal representation.
About 60 percent of state legislators currently
represent districts in
Maricopa
County
.
With a greater urban population, the interest expressed in rural
legislation is often overlooked, Klein said.
There is also a negative fiscal impact for cities, which receive a
percentage of state income and sales taxes based solely on their
population.
If the metropolitan areas in
Tucson
and
Phoenix
continue to grow faster than those in
Cochise
County
, city governments will see less of those tax dollars, a significant
source of revenue in city budgets.
Income tax distributed by the state for fiscal year 2003 totaled
$430.5 million. About $140.7 million went to
Phoenix
, with about 65 percent of the rest staying in
Maricopa
County
.
Comparatively, less than $7.4 million reached cities in
Cochise
County
.
While some
Cochise
County
cities did experience slight population growth, the situation is
even more dire for Bisbee, Douglas, Benson and Willcox which, with
very little growth or in some cases population decline, will receive
an even smaller percentage of state-distributed funds.
Even with small growth,
Sierra Vista
will see an increase in sales tax revenues, City Clerk Jack Cooke
said. However, the increase does not cover the losses in
state-distributed revenue.
"In essence, we get more people, a greater demand for
city services, a little bit more money from sales tax but a whole
lot less money from the state," Cooke said.
While the new census study implies the trend pulling representation
and money away from rural communities and into Maricopa and Pima
County will likely continue, redistricting and state revenue
distribution is based solely on census figures taken each decade, or
in five-year increments when necessary.
Until that time, it is not precisely known how the
population growth in Maricopa and Pima counties will affect other
rural areas.
"I don't think we could do much worse than we have
already done," Klein said. "Our plan is to budget fairly
conservatively and live within our means with the revenues we
receive ... and to fight as hard as we can in
Phoenix
to keep from losing more."
HERALD/REVIEW reporter Nate Searing can be reached
at 458-9440, Ext. 180, or by e-mail at nate.searing@svherald.com.
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