Hobbs signs pro-truck bill that could make Litchfield residents sleepless

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed a bill Tuesday that will prevent Litchfield Park from restricting trucks on Camelback Road, exacerbating noise and pollution concerns for nearby residents.

Senate Bill 1097 nullifies local truck restrictions if “a major arterial street that has a truck restriction does not provide through access between two or more jurisdictions.”

Litchfield Park Mayor Thomas L. Schoaf told the Daily Independent that the governor’s action disheartened him.

"We are extremely disappointed that the Legislature and the governor elected to protect private trucking interests over the health and safety of our residents, refusing to wait the results of a comprehensive study that will define the impacts of these trucks,” he said. “We will study the legislation to determine its impact on our efforts to protect our residents with the intent of determining the best path forward to protect the health and safety of those residents to the fullest extent possible."

In 2022, Litchfield Park and the county came to a jurisdictional agreement over a 2-mile stretch along Camelback Road from 127th Avenue to North Village Parkway. The agreement stipulated the stretch would be transferred to the city and subject to Litchfield’s truck restriction if found necessary, pending comprehensive study.

Until then, the city had paused a truck restriction until they can fully understand the impact.

According to Maricopa Association of Governments project manager Bradlee Williams, the study’s objective is to investigate the nature of truck trips on Camelback, identify all reasonable means of alleviating impacts, and assess and present the findings to the city.

The study does not seem to assess air or noise pollution's impact on the health of nearby residents.

The annexation and agreement were a relief for many residents who have seen the city grow and increase in noise and pollution throughout the years.

Residents voiced concerns about the traffic in a December town hall. Many residents said they have lived in the Litchfield Greens area for decades and have shared concerns about the city’s expansion multiple times. They claim big trucks use the road too frequently, which creates too much noise, and causes exhaust to get into their homes.

“SB 1097 seeks to undermine local code enforcement in Litchfield Park,” said Paige Peterson, assistant city manager, in a letter to Litchfield Park residents. “Litchfield Park citizens have expressed outrage over SB 1097 and have testified to the city council that trucking on Camelback impacts their quality of life.”

Litchfield Park officials also suggested a line of legislation prohibiting the city from restricting access is unconstitutional. Schoaf specifically references Article 4 Part 2 Section 19 of the Arizona Consitution, which forbids the Legislature from enacting laws “[l]aying out, opening, altering or vacating roads, plats, streets, alleys and public squares.” 

The prohibition, they claim, personifies the type of legislation the 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.

Schoaf also suggested partnerships with trucking interest groups moved forward in bad faith.

“Residents living along Camelback Road are impacted severely by loud truck noise that keeps them awake at night,” he said. "In February, my staff met with a representative with the Arizona Rock Products Association and asked for a compromise of no truck travel on Camelback Road between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. with Northern Parkway as a convenient alternate route. They refused even though Northern Parkway was built for this purpose.”

Schoaf also claims Tony Bradley, CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association, violated a moratorium agreement by speaking at a senate transportation committee in January. Schoaf said Bradley was compelled to remain silent pending the results of the impact study. Schoaf claims Bradley violated this agreement by slamming Litchfield Park and lobbying against the resident’s interest during the committee hearing.

Litchfield Park did not indicate any legal motivation toward challenging the law. 

Bradley said the issue was more based on a lack of action from the Arizona League of Cities and Towns, so the association moved forward with pushing the bill that Hobbs eventually signed.

"The mayor's statement is a mischaracterization of fact," he said. "Last year, we had a provision that was before the Arizona Senate called the striker provision dealing with with truck route restrictions. We were asked by the Senate president, the League of Cities and Towns — Litchfield Park was part of that discussion — if we would, try and figure out a solution. Part of that solution involves the moratorium on the enforcement. The other part of that solution was an agreement with the League of Cities and Towns. The League of Cities and Towns was going to initiate a process by ... engaging stakeholders [during] the intersession to come to a resolution on legislation that would address people's concerns. That never happened, the attempt was always to work in good faith. The League of Cities and Towns did not convene the meeting did not have the policy committee meeting. In the interim, some additional roads were restricted and so we felt it necessary and obligated, quite frankly, to run the legislation that was signed by the governor."

The Arizona Rock Products Association and Gov. Hobbs' office were contacted, but no comment was furnished by press time.