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Impact of HURF Shifts on Arizona Counties
Arizona's Highway User Revenue Fund (HURF) consists of monies collected from taxes on motor fuels, as well as fees and charges related to registering and operating motor vehicles. While the state collects revenues, funds are allocated to cities and towns, counties, and to the State Highway Fund. Generally, 19% of the HURF revenue collected is distributed to counties. Pursuant to A.R.S. § 28-6540, the amount each county receives is "based on the proportion… of motor vehicle fuel…and the estimated consumption of use fuel in the county", as well as "the proportion that the population of the unincorporated area of each county bears to the population of the unincorporated areas of all counties in the state". In the 1990's, the state began to shift HURF revenues from the fund to DPS Highway Patrol during economic downturns, thus making funds unavailable for counties. In times of economic expansion, these monies are diverted back to HURF. Since Fiscal Year 2012, counties have not received substantial HURF revenue funds due to these shifts. As part of her Fiscal Year 2015 budget, Governor Jan Brewer acknowledges that the HURF shift should be eliminated; however, it does not fit her policy agenda for the year. On the other hand, the state's Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) has expressed wide bipartisan support for eliminating the shift in Fiscal Year 2015.
According to JLBC, since Fiscal Year 2000, counties have foregone $159.4 million from HURF. The table below details the amount of monies shifted away from HURF to DPS, MVD, the General Fund, and to a Highway Hazards Assessment in Fiscal Year 2008, as well as how much counties did not, but were due, to receive.
| Fiscal Year | Total Amounts Shifted to All Sources | County Impact (19% of Total) |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | $109,247,100 | $20,756,900 |
| 2013 | 109,873,000 | 20,875,900 |
| 2012 | 201,894,700 | 34,260,000* |
| 2011 | 69,215,700 | 13,151,000 |
| 2010 | 68,626,200 | 13,039,000 |
| 2009 | 74,949,500 | 14,240,400 |
| 2008 | 150,000 | 28,500 |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 53,999,300 | 10,259,900 |
| 2005 | 42,216,300 | 42,216,300 |
| 2004 | 38,698,000 | 7,352,600 |
| 2003 | 44,416,200 | 8,439,100 |
| 2002 | 42,065,600 | 7,992,500 |
| 2001 | 2,500,000 | 475,000 |
| 2000 | 2,500,000 | 475,000 |
| Total | $860,351,600 | $159,376,800 |
Source: Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Committee
*In Fiscal Year 2012, under a MVD funding shift, $4.1 million was distributed to the 10 least populated counties, thereby reducing the total shift impact.