BISBEE — The county Board of Supervisors is sending a letter in support of Gov. Jan Brewer’s “comprehensive, long-term outline” to tackle the state’s funding problems.

Supervisors Pat Call, Ann English and Richard Searle also provided five talking points that they believe will provide a foundation for management of the state’s budget in years to come.

The five points are:

• Reform the budget process with a comprehensive focus on long-term needs and resources.

• Temporarily unlock Prop 105 mandated spending during this recession.

• Reduce state spending rather than cutting county and municipal government revenues.

• Provide tax reform to foster broad-based economic development.

• Identify temporary additional revenues to fund critical government expenditures only after minimizing the budget and reforming the tax structure.

“We are in a similar situation as the state in that we are mandated to provide certain services, yet at the same time, our revenues continue to dwindle,” states the letter.

According to Supervisor Pat Call, the state has sought basic cost reductions that mirror steps taken by the county such as hiring freezes, cutbacks on travel, evaluating programs to determine if they are mandated or discretionary and proactive energy savings efforts.

“Evaluation of existing programs is significant,” added Call. “Any bureaucracy — private or government — is subject to mission creep. Programs meant to be temporary are never discontinued. Good programs that grow over the years and decades and have gone far beyond their initial intent both in services and costs. Re-evaluating existing efforts and programs within the state agencies and getting back to basics and performing those duties that are mandated would be a huge savings.”

The supervisors agree that a critical reform would be the suspension of voter initiatives that created spending obligations that under the current revenue stream are difficult to fulfill.

If the state sales tax were raised, one-cent for three years as Brewer has requested from the Legislature, revenue could increase as much as $1 billion a year. This temporary fix could save the gutting of the education system, the health system or the prison system in order to balance its budget, Call suggested.

English said, “I supported the governor’s budget proposal because it clearly reflects the need for additional revenue besides the stimulus money, as well as budget cutting in order to balance the budget. There also is an attempt to look forward by committing to address the tax structure that relies too heavily on sales tax and is not conducive to businesses looking to expand in our state. She also did not look to moving state expenses to counties or by sweeping our limited funds into the state coffers as a fix for them and trouble for us.”

“Brewer has taken a pragmatic approach to solving the problem. The fact is that politically she has gone out on a limb by suggesting a tax increase as well as suggesting that we reconsider voter approved initiatives.

“(They are) very politically courageous stands when you think about it. And, frankly, I admire her for it. Someone’s got to be the adult in the room if we are going to solve the problem. Someone has got to stop playing politics and start working the problem practically,” emphasized Call.

Brewer suggests putting an initiative to voters in 2012 to reaffirm all measures approved between 1998 and 2004 and that a specific funding source be identified to pay for those the voters want to keep.

Call takes it one step further and suggests a sunset clause in voter initiatives, say three years, and after that time has lapsed, put the matter back in front of the voters to reinstate or discontinue after a few years.

With almost two-thirds of the state budget locked into voter initiatives that mandate spending in certain areas, like education and public health care, that only leaves a small amount in which to work with in order to create cuts and savings, Call added.

“Last I heard there was only $3 billion out of the state $10 billion budget that was discretionary. With $7 billion untouchable it makes balancing the budget and still doing business virtually impossible,” explained Call.

“Things that were voted in 10 years ago may not be relevant today. There needs to be flexibility. Are the desires of Arizona voters of a decade ago representative of the voters today,” he posited.

The supervisors conclude in the letter, “If left alone, Cochise County will manage its way through this recession while continuing to provide a quality level of service to our residents.”

Searle was offered the opportunity to make comments on the letter and chose to decline and allow the letter to speak for itself.