A Penny For Your Thoughts

Fairfax County is often compared with Maricopa County, Arizona, when it comes to local government services. In 2002, when Fairfax County was rated as the “Best Managed County” in the country by Governing magazine, Maricopa County came in a close second. Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Maricopa when I attended the National Association of Counties annual conference in Phoenix.

Maricopa County is larger than Fairfax, both in geography and population, but its $2.5 billion annual budget is about the same as ours. Last week, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (only 5 elected officials represent a county population of 3.2 million) reduced the property tax rate by 7 cents, to $1.478 per $100 valuation, the lowest rate in 25 years. Unlike Fairfax County, Maricopa County contains the city of Phoenix, which has its own governing body and separate revenue system.

It was interesting to compare some issues of current interest to Arizonans and Virginians. The West Nile virus is prevalent in Maricopa County despite the fact that it lies in the desert, with a very hot and dry climate. The Maricopa Health Department has identified 64 human cases of the virus, in addition to birds, chickens, and horses that are afflicted. Water runoff does not seem to be a problem because most of the water is either in canals of the Central Arizona project which has made the area habitable, or in recirculating fountains and “misters,” tubing that sprays fine water droplets in outdoor areas. The misters are remarkably effective; residents told me it is the only way for them to have outdoor seating areas. Moreover, it was noticeably cooler where misters were used, but you don’t get wet because the mist evaporates so quickly. Phoenix residents apologized for their unusually humid (26 percent) weather. The highest temperature during my visit was 107 degrees, but it already was 92 at 7:30 in the morning!

Maricopa County has a cigarette tax of $1.18 per pack. The proceeds fund smoker cessation classes, a seven week intensive program. One woman reported that the classes helped her kick a five-pack-per-day habit, not because she wanted to be healthier, but because she discovered she was spending more than $400 a month on cigarettes.

Maricopa County also is experimenting with a new rubberized surface for highways. Old tires are part of the mixture that replaced asphalt on one section of a freeway. The new dark surface was noticeably smoother and quieter, but a taxi driver reported that wet weather conditions make the road extremely slippery. Apparently braking distances are different on the new surface, and drivers haven’t gotten the hang of it yet.

The landscape of Maricopa County is interesting. Desert plants and cacti thrive, but I didn’t see many weeds along the roadways. Many landscapes don’t incorporate grass, so colored aggregate stone is used instead of mulch around plantings. Weeds don’t grow through the gravelly surface, and the stone tends to stay put when the wind blows. Some landscapes took advantage of the design capabilities of stone and incorporated Native American patterns.

Maricopa County may be compared to Fairfax on fiscal management, but there’s no comparison to the wonderful quality of life we have here in Fairfax County. There truly is “no place like home.”