Litchfield Park a step closer to charter city with election win

Litchfield Park pushes a step closer to a charter city with an election win Tuesday.

The city received 70% of the vote to start the process of becoming a charter city, according to Maricopa County official results.

Litchfield Park Mayor Thomas Schoaf said the next step for the city will be to draft a city charter.

“The Board of Freeholders have much work ahead of them as they fulfill the important responsibility of drafting a city charter that will guide Litchfield Park’s future. I’d like to thank them in advance for their time and willingness to serve our city,” he said, in a press release. “As this process moves forward and following the Board of Freeholders important work, our residents will have the opportunity to shape the city’s future in a special election.”

The Litchfield charter city election will be held on March 12, 2024. Litchfield is poised to become the 20^th charter city in Arizona if successful.

Litchfield's 14 Freeholders candidates were elected as part of the 2023 election as board members for the charter city process.

Schoaf thanked residents for their support, and also alluded to more flexibility in governing.

“I’d like to thank our residents that voted in Tuesday’s election for participating in the process and for trusting the city’s vision for the future,” Schoaf said. “If the city charter passes, the city of Litchfield Park would be the first new charter city in over forty years to join this small group of cities that have the ability to govern themselves more freely.”

According to  League of Arizona Cities and Towns once a city is a charter city, the city's charter becomes the "organic law of the city."

Meaning Litchfield could draw power from their charter and would not be required to look to legislative authority before exercising a power.

Traffic concerns could be addressed

In 2022, Litchfield Park and the county signed a jurisdictional agreement annexing a 2-mile stretch of Camelback Road from 127th Avenue to North Village Parkway.

The agreement stipulated the stretch would be transferred to the city and subject to a Litchfield truck restriction if found necessary, pending comprehensive study.

Later that year, Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill preventing city-based truck restrictions on major arterial roads, even if it conflicted with municipal sovereignty.

Hobbs signed the bill four months after the Arizona Trucking Association and Arizona Rock Products Association donated $20,000 combined to her inaugural fund. Unlike campaign donations, the inaugural fund allows the governor to use proceeds for gifts, dignitary visits or at-large political campaign spending.

The legislative support from state reps compounded by lobbying from trucking interest groups brought forward legal issues revolving around city sovereignty and concerns of political money influencing governing decisions in the city.

Litchfield Park Mayor Thomas L. Schoaf told the Daily Independent in July that he was disappointed that the Legislature and the governor elected to protect private trucking interests over the health and safety of his residents. He also said the bill personified the type of legislation the Arizona constitution framers disapproved of. 

“A law targeting one specific road in one Arizona city, for the benefit of private entities and should be vetoed for this reason alone,” Schoaf said in his veto request letter to Hobbs.

The Litchfield Independent reached out to Matt Williams, the town manager, for comment about traffic in relation to the charter city, but he politely refused to comment.