PHOENIX - Gov. Jan Brewer gave the go-ahead late Thursday for a special "forensic audit" of Pima County to see if local officials played favorites with bond projects or punished enemies.
Gubernatorial press aide Matthew Benson said Brewer was responding to concerns expressed by Marana residents and the legislators who represent them, who contend the area is not getting its fair share of funds from the county's 1997, 2004 and 2006 general obligation bonds.
"Ultimately, the people of Marana want to make sure that the money that they contribute to the tax system in Pima County is being used appropriately," Benson said. "Counties are accountable to the taxpayers, and this audit will help assure that."
But Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said the push led by Rep. Terri Proud, R-Tucson, whose district includes part of Marana, is little more than political payback for the county fighting the town's move to take over a sewage treatment plant. The county objected to the move, arguing that county sewage ratepayers who paid to build the facility were not properly compensated.
Proud acknowledged she was not happy with Pima County's moves to block Marana from taking the sewage plant, a fight that ended after the Legislature intervened on the town's behalf. But she said her concerns predate the sewage plant fight.
"I'm not one to hold a grudge," Proud said.
Republican Rep. Vic Williams, who represents the same northern Pima County legislative district, said he does believe the fight over the sewage plant is part of what ultimately led to the call for the audit. But Williams supported the legislation, calling the examination worthwhile.
Benson said Brewer sees nothing wrong with singling out one county for special treatment. He said the Auditor General's Office, which will perform the examination, routinely examines the finances of state agencies, local governments and school districts.
This audit, however, goes far beyond making sure the books balance.
Lawmakers want the auditors to compare what projects were authorized by the county's bond advisory committee and where the money ultimately went. They also want to know whether some projects listed as being completed early were pushed back.
Also required will be an analysis of the explanation made by the Board of Supervisors for each change in use of funds and delivery times, "including in each instance whether there is any reason to believe or conclude that Pima County changed the amounts or uses of funds or the timing of projects to reward or to punish an entity, party or official who stood to benefit from or be affected by the project."
"It's something that I think should be looked at," Proud said, adding that she has been "hearing things" about misspending.
"If that's not the case, they don't have anything to worry about," she said.
Huckelberry said auditors will find nothing irregular.
"Our bond program is absolutely transparent," he said. "It's all there - every ordinance, every amendment, every change is documented. It follows a very strict and rigorous process."
But Huckelberry said that does not mean there won't be some fallout for the county.
He cited plans to ask voters in November to approve $200 million in new bonds to relocate roads away from Raytheon Missile Systems and create new ones. That lack of buffer space is one reason the company decided to build a new missile factory in Alabama last year rather than Tucson, he noted.
"How can you ask voters for another bond when the program is under investigation by the state?" Huckelberry asked.
He said the audit likely would force putting off the vote until 2014, delaying the economic development project.
