BULLHEAD CITY — For years, Bullhead City has leased land for public parks from state and federal agencies.
On Monday, a small but substantial portion of the land became the property of the city.
Governor Katie Hobbs formally signed House Bill 2375. This is the transfer of nearly 10 acres of state sovereign land from the Arizona Land Department to Bullhead City. The land includes five smaller slivers of his already serving great purposes: Bullhead Community Park, Rotary Park, Veterans Memorial Park Boat Ride, Rotary Park Pier and Fishing Pier.
Mayor Toby Cotter said of the land already heavily used by the city, residents and tourists, “it’s mostly been developed.” “We have boat launches and other facilities in place. Now[the land]is ours.
The bill, sponsored by House Majority Leader Leo Biacicucci (R-City of Lake Havasu) and co-sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Sonny Borelli (R-City of Lake Havasu) and Rep. gives land to Bullhead City. Leased for about 30 years.
State sovereign land is owned by the state but is separate from the trust land designated when Arizona became a state. The Land Department is responsible for the administration of state sovereign land. The Empowerment Act and the Arizona Constitution do not dictate how the state’s sovereign lands are administered.
The Arizona State Legislature is the only agency that cedes state sovereign land, including 9.95 acres of three city parks along the Colorado River.
The city pays $1,800 for each of the six lots, with annual renewal fees of $300 to $400. Bullhead Mayor Steve D’Amico told the River City newspaper that the land transfer would save the city time and resources because city officials had to renew leases each year. We also cover maintenance costs and plan to continue doing so.
“This is an example of how government can be efficient,” Cotter said.
D’Amico said the land included in the Veterans Memorial Park peninsula will continue to house a memorial to veterans. Due to the popularity of the Veterans Memorial Park, he said he looks forward to having the land designated as a memorial “from here on out forever.” ” A boat launch also occupies a portion of the land.
“There are a lot of veterans, myself included, so the memorial means a lot to us,” D’Amico said.
City officials say it would be more efficient to transfer the land to the city of Bullhead. Kotter also noted that the bill received bipartisan support from the House, Senate and governors. He said that in a polarized government, the bill is proof that elected officials can work together to achieve change.
“This shows that the government can agree,” Cotter said.
The city is still working on a land exchange with the federal government for other land in community parks leased from the US Bureau of Land Management. Originally, it was proposed to trade Black his 1,100 lands on his Mountain donated to the city by Don Laughlin in exchange for over 340 acres held by the United States Reclamation Service for BLM.
City officials hope some sort of land swap will take place — previous legislation at the federal level did not result in a deal — but it’s unlikely to include all the land the city was asking for. .
Regarding the five new parcels transferred from the state to the city, Cotter said they shouldn’t be stuck with previous or current owners.
“We can all agree that this is the people’s land,” he said.
