Neighbors of a rodeo venue in one southern state filed a lawsuit against the city, refusing to agree to a lump-sum payment that was accounted for as operating expenses.

In Prescott, Arizona, about 160 miles north of Phoenix, local rodeo company Prescott Frontier Days, Inc., joined two neighborhoods and a law firm after it was reported earlier this year that the state had set aside $15.3 million for it. was sued by a civil rights group.

Political activist Howard Mechanic and former Yavapai County Superior Court Judge Ralph Hess were reportedly among those who argued that the Arizona constitution did not allow such large expenditures for the rodeo operation. there is Arizona Republic.

of lawsuitThe document, obtained by the press, was submitted by two neighboring properties with the support of a bipartisan legal advocacy group. Arizona Public Interest Law Center in Maricopa County Superior Court at the end of June.

On June 27, the lawsuit stopped spending in court until the matter was resolved.

Legal documents say payments of more than $15 million for rodeo activities violate state law and taxpayers in the area, including Mr. Hess and the mechanic, face a “burden to replenish illegal and unlawful expenditures.” claimed.

The lawsuit that the spending allegedly violated is Arizona’s gift clause, which directly benefits taxpayers and prevents the state from giving money to private businesses and people, according to the complaint. stipulates that it is not possible.

In the document, neighbors said they suspected the government had failed to meet two requirements of the gift clause with respect to spending.

First, the $15 million does not serve a “public purpose,” and second, Arizona’s failure to consider the “direct benefits of giving to the state.”

Hess and Mechanic said in the document that given that the funds will not be donated to state agencies or public school districts, or for debt relief, the state will list its purpose in a separate bill. He also argued that it was necessary.

Prescott Republican state representative Quan Nguyen told the court that funding for the rodeo they helped direct was approved by legislative counsel, according to the Arizona Republic.

Spokespersons for the Arizona House and Senate also told media outlets that they approved the budget before Governor Katie Hobbs signed it.

They claimed the funds were thoroughly inspected for gift clause violations.

Danny Adelman, executive director of the Arizona Center for Public Interest Law, stressed to the Republic of Arizona that the government must ensure compliance with interim laws enacted to protect taxpayers in the state.

“These are important provisions to protect taxpayers,” Adelman said.

“It is important to be obeyed.”

Nguyen said the rodeo funds are aimed at securing tax revenue and increasing tourism to the Prescott area. However, some residents felt that the expansion of the project would cause more traffic and noise.

The rodeo has been in operation for a long time and some even call it “the oldest in the world,” according to a Phoenix radio station. KJZZ.

It’s also run by a nonprofit, whose president, Ron Owsley, told the Arizona Republic in May that the fund would provide the rodeo renovations.

He noted that these improvements would ultimately benefit Prescott significantly.

Owsley also confirmed to the media that the estimated $15.4 million did not include a “written contract or promise of profit.”

Other funding for the project could be affected if the neighbors ultimately prevailed and the government’s spending was proven to violate the Arizona constitution’s gift clause.

Other significant payments for operations in the area include $1 million to the racetrack Turf Paradise, $10 million to the International Dark Sky Discovery Center, and the nonprofit Lowell Observatory, according to information gathered by the Arizona Republic. of $5.6 million.

Mechanic said in an interview with the newspaper that he hopes their lawsuit will mitigate the state government’s gifts in the future.

“While we expect to prevail in this case, we also expect that reducing the number of gifts the state gives will have a positive long-term effect,” he said.

As of this writing, a final judgment has not yet been rendered on the case.

US Sun has reached out to Prescott Frontier Days and the City of Prescott for comment on the lawsuit.