MPS board leader's farewell/ P. 3
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An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Sunday, December 25, 2022
Tax defeat leaves fire districts in a bind
INSIDE
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
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tate firefighter organizations lobbied the Legislature this year to put a question on the Nov. 8 ballot asking voters to approve a 20-year, .1% sales tax that would generate revenue for fire districts across the state. The Legislature obliged, but in a 52-48% vote – 1,230,042 against to 1,144,495 for – Arizona voters shot down Prop 310, sending fire officials
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back to the drawing board to address a funding problem they say isn’t going away any time soon. Firefighters also noted that at the same time as Proposition 310 failed, voters approved another legislative initiative that requires ballot questions posing tax increases to pass with at least a 60% approval. Approval of Prop 132 by a 50.7% to 49.3% – 1,210,702 votes in favor and 1,176,327 against – means it will be even harder to get a tax passed in the future.
“We were obviously disappointed. Like the air came out of our sails,” Daisy Mountain Fire District Chief Brian Tobin said. “My firefighters worked very hard on their days off to try and get as much education and information out about 310, but we came up short.” Tobin and Superstition Fire District Chief John Whitney said Arizona’s urban departments also lost with the defeat of 310.
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see
2 celebrate a century of Christmas Days BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer
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irthdays near Christmas Day often don’t double the fun for the people who celebrate them, but for Esther Misterek and Edna Magnuson, this year’s holiday has a more than a little special meaning. The two residents of Fellowship Squaresee
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Esther Misterek
Edna Magnuson
The Christmas season is especially meaningful for Mesa residents Esther Misterek and Edna Magnuson because they’ll be celebrating a century of life. Esther turns 100 today, Dec. 25, and Edna will follow three days later. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)
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