The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to forward a new draft of a Shared Services Agreement (SSA) to the Maricopa County Recorder. This decision follows months of negotiations aiming to clarify roles and responsibilities in managing elections in accordance with state law.
“For months, the Board and its staff have been negotiating details of a new SSA in good faith,” remarked Board Chairman Thomas Galvin, District 2. “It’s time the public knows the full story, and this latest agreement includes many concessions from our Board.”
The public meeting, which was live-streamed, provided a detailed review of the Board’s persistence in negotiating a new SSA since the prior agreement ended in January. According to the presentation, the Board’s efforts have included repeated legal threats by Recorder Heap against them.
Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee, District 3, expressed her concerns: “Recorder Heap has not been a trustworthy partner in these negotiations. He doesn’t seem to know what he wants. He doesn’t seem to understand his statutory responsibilities. The only thing he seems to be really good at is threatening lawsuits. But there’s time for him to change. He can come back to the table and sign this agreement. I hope he does. Successful elections in Maricopa County depend on it.”
The meeting outlined the Recorder’s misunderstood assertions regarding his perceived loss of powers by the Board and his misinterpretation of state laws governing shared services.
Supervisor Debbie Lesko, District 4, shared her frustration: “I’m beyond frustrated. After the April 11th meeting between Recorder Heap and Supervisors Galvin and Brophy-McGee, Justin texted me saying the meeting ‘went very well, we seem to be in agreement on 95% and are only discussing minor details on how to effectively split the IT team.’ Our lawyer writes up the agreement based on the meeting and then, next thing I know, Justin fires his attorney and we seem to be back to square one.”
The draft SSA, initially provided to the Recorder’s legal counsel on April 12, has undergone changes based on requests from the Recorder’s office. Supervisor Mark Stewart, District 1, noted, “Based on my conversations with Recorder Heap and the Board, we are 95% of the way to a final SSA agreement. I am optimistic that a new SSA will be signed soon. That’s what voters deserve and that’s what we should all be focused on and that is good news.”
Arizona statutes allocate election duties between supervisors and county recorders. SSA in Maricopa County can offer direction on ambiguous areas of the law while fostering cost and time efficiencies.
Supervisor Steve Gallardo, District 5, encouraged progress: “It’s time to get this done. In all my time on the Board, I’ve never had SSA negotiations drag on this long or involve a recorder who goes out in public and bad mouths us or threatens litigation. C’mon, Recorder Heap. Let’s put the voters first.”
The Board will consider the final SSA in a public meeting, where public commentary will be invited before any conclusive vote.
