This is a summary of several reports related to government finance in Arizona that have been produced by the Office of the University Economist since December 2008. Some new information has been added in an attempt to provide a complete picture. The format of this report is a brief summary by issue, sometimes accompanied by a table or chart. References are provided to the report and the page number where additional detail can be found.

Volume I: Facts
Analyses of Arizona state government finance, using data of the Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and of the combined finances of all state and local governments within Arizona, using data of the U.S. Census Bureau. A historical perspective is provided for both datasets. For combined state and local government finance, comparisons are made to other states and to the national average. In addition, other measures of the tax burden by state are examined.

Volume II: Concepts and Issues
Addresses the conceptual and empirical relationships between taxes, government revenue, and economic growth. Also discusses current issues specific to Arizona state government finance. This is a revised version of the report "Tax Reductions, the Economy, and the Deficit in the Arizona State Government General Fund," incorporating new and updated material.

Volume III: Options for Managing the Arizona State General Fund
Presents options and offers recommendations for managing the Arizona state government general fund. The near-term budget deficit is addressed as well as ways to prevent budget deficits from recurring every time economic growth slows.

The purpose of the stabilization fund is to reduce the fluctuations in general fund revenue caused by the economic cycle. These fluctuations result in large budget surpluses in some years and large deficits in other years. Without considering the structural deficit, the budget stabilization fund almost certainly will not have the funding necessary to offset the cyclical reduction in revenue that will occur during the next recession.

A resident of Wickenburg, Arizona and her husband reported experiencing some adverse health effects that she felt may be attributed to a recent pesticide application to her home. The family requested the Arizona Department of Health Services to evaluate whether the remaining levels of pesticides present in her home would cause any health effects. The resident reported to ADHS that their symptoms continued to worsen over time, and that the chemical continued to pool in their house even after being wiped up several times, so that she and her husband vacated the house. The couple underwent extensive testing, and are receiving oxygen treatment to alleviate their symptoms. No medical records have been submitted to ADHS for review, and it is difficult to conclusively analyze health outcome information as it has been self reported.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality asked the Arizona Department of Health Services to evaluate the health threat to residents from exposures to ash fallout from a fire at an asphalt plant located on the Salt River Indian Reservation in Mesa, Arizona. The facility has recently been bought by Vulcan, Inc. The site is located just north of the Salt River between Dobson and Alma School Roads. April 13, 1999.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) requested the Arizona Department of Health Services to determine whether exposure to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in the indoor air of a vacant dry cleaning facility and an attached convenience store posed a health threat to workers renovating the former dry cleaners and the patrons and employees of the convenience store. The former Viking Cleaners operated from 1954 until 2000. The building houses two businesses, Viking Cleaners, which is currently vacant but under renovation, and an attached convenience store that is currently in operation.

The purpose of this document is to summarize the body of environmental health investigation work that has been developed for the airport site. The report includes a summary of previous reports and new data. There is currently no exposure of public health concern. However, no regulation prevents persons from installing private drinking water wells in the contaminated groundwater. Because the pollutants in the groundwater may be of public health concern if it were used for drinking water, the site may pose a potential public health hazard unless actions are taken to prevent such use.

This public health assessment evaluates the potential public health hazard from exposure to contaminated groundwater in the vicinity of the Tucson International Airport. The Tucson International Airport Area superfund site consists of a main plume of contaminated groundwater and three smaller areas of groundwater contamination east of the main plume. This report focuses on one of these areas of contamination called Plume B and evaluates the public health hazard posed by Plume B to residents of the area of south Tucson bounded by Valencia Road, Campbell Avenue, Irvington Road, and 6th Avenue.