The coming week...

As usual, all info gathered from the websites of the relevent political bodies/agencies and subject to change without notice...

Summer breaks are coming to an end as this will be the most active week for political meetings since June.


...Both chambers of the U.S. Congress are still in recess, though the posturing over healthcare reform is continuing...

...The Arizona legislature is still in its special session, mostly to pressure the Governor into signing their budget. Floor sessions are scheduled for Tuesday at 1 p.m. More on that in a later post.

...The Arizona Corporation Commission has a full Commission meeting scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The agenda is 25 items long. The highlight seems to be item 12, which is a continuation from a meeting on August 17. It involves a proposed rate hike for Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Cooperative, Inc. There are also a couple of items each concerning Tucson Electric Power and APS. Full hearing schedule here, including a Monday hearing on rates for APS. Related material here, here, here, here, and here.

...The Citizens Clean Election Commission is scheduled to meet on Thursday. No agenda posted as yet.

...The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has a "special" meeting scheduled for Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. No agenda posted yet, but if the Board is running true to form, it will involve an executive session and one or another of the legal messes the board is involved in.

...The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District will meet on Tuesday. The agenda is available here. This one looks to be pretty run-of-the-mill, though there are a couple of items related to a controversial contract awarded to an outside consulting firm.

...The Board of Directors of the Maricopa Integrated Health System is scheduled to meet on Monday and Wednesday. Monday's meeting is at 1 p.m. and has just one item on the agenda - "Medical School/MIHS Affiliations."

A recurring issue for the Maricopa Medical Center has been the desire of some directors (and some county supes, for that matter) to bar the teaching part of the operation from teaching the techniques involved in abortions. One of the issues that has blocked that move has been the fact that they would have lost their "teaching hospital" accreditation if they had done so. This meeting might be mundane, or it could involve an attempt to affiliate the hospital with a medical school that won't mandate teaching abortion techniques.

This one might be worth keeping an eye on.

Wednesday's meeting starts with an executive session planned for noon, followed by a regular meeting at 1 p.m. No info is available as yet regarding the executive session, but the highlight of the regular session may be this item from the consent agenda.

It's for the Annual Leadership Conference of the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association at the Orangetree Golf Resort in October. Yes, there is a golf tournament, but at least it is "optional."

I foresee a public records request relating to expense reports in November. :)

...The Scottsdale City Council has two meetings schedule this week, for Monday and Tuesday evenings.

Monday's agenda is pretty sparse - thus far, it is just a nine item consent agenda.

Tuesday's agenda is far more interesting. It includes a 20-item consent agenda with the interesting item of the appointment of one William J. Sims, III as the interim City Attorney.

For a fee of $11,600 per month, for 20 hours per week in office hours plus attendance at City Council meetings.

Nice gig.

Listed on the regular agenda - evaluation of the City Clerk and discussion/possible action regarding a search for a permanent City Attorney.

Since there doesn't seem to be an executive session associated with the evaluation of Carolyn Jagger, Scottsdale City Clerk, I'm guessing that this won't be a hatchet job.


Not scheduled to meet this week - Arizona Board of Regents, Board of Directors of the Central Arizona Project, Tempe City Council.


Later...