The parking referendum in the state legislature, which would have an impact on parking enforcement in the Sun Cities, is dead, for now.

The House of Representatives voted and House Bill 2470 failed, but only by a 28-32 vote March 4.

This bill states an association has no authority over and shall not regulate any roadway for which the ownership has been dedicated to or is otherwise held by that governmental entity.

Lisa Gray, general manager of the Sun City Homeowners Association, said the bill failed in the house after three readings, but they will continue to follow the bill through the session. Looking ahead, she said she hopes for the sake of the community and other planned communities of 55 and older, this house bill does not resurrect.

“I’m happy about it,” she said. “I think it’s good for Sun City and all communities that this failed. I’m hoping it doesn’t come back. The Legislature has its ways of bringing a bill back. We’re keeping our eyes on it. Both of Sun City’s state representatives, David Livingston and Beverly Pingerelli, voted no. State Senator Frank Carroll has said he also opposes this bill.”

Sun City West Property Owners and Residents Association Board Director Bud Meador said there was a coordinated effort in place to put a stop to this bill. Petitions were created in both Sun City West and Sun City.

Gray gathered more than 3,700 signatures in Sun City and Meador collected just under 5,000 signatures in Sun City West which were delivered to the Arizona State Capitol the day of the vote.

“At some point in time it can still be resurrected. We will be on the look out and enjoy our victory and if they raise this ugly monster again we can be prepared to deal with it again,” Meador said.

SCHOA enforced 1,425 street parking violations in 2023, which was down slightly from 1,813 issued in 2022. The number of citations issued this year are 190, as of March 7, Gray said. Each year, street parking is the second most violations issued, behind only condition of property citations.

“I’d like the thank the community as a whole for stepping up,” she said. “This would have changed our way of life here. The look and feel of the community would have changed drastically if vehicles were allowed to park in the street.”

A separate bill, House Bill 2298 amended section 33-1818 of the Arizona Revised Statues relating to planned community was passed last year. This change in state law means an association will have no authority over and shall not regulate any roadway for which the ownership has been dedicated to.

This requires the planned community to call a vote of the membership whether to continue to regulate public roadways.

House Bill 2298 does not affect those living in Sun City as a Title 10 community, but requires Sun City West residents to take action if they want things to remain as they are.

During the upcoming March election, on top of the vote for three new directors, the question about whether the Recreation Centers of Sun City West can continue to enforce the Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions related to street parking will be on the ballot.

RCSCW enforces recreational vehicle, boat, trailer, utility and other long-term vehicle parking through Sun City West.

“Residents need to do something if they want to keep the streets looking the way they do now, by voting yes,” RCSCW General Services Manager Katy O’Grady said.

According to the RCSCW website, without a positive vote by a quorum of members, RCSCW and the CC&R Department will have no jurisdiction over whether RVs and other large vehicles can remain parked on the streets indefinitely. Enforcement will be up to the discretion and resources of Maricopa County.

Riley said if association officials lose the ability to govern street parking, things will be different in Sun City West.

“We are not asking for any more authority than what we already have,” he explained.

The biggest fears for RCSCW officials are public safety, which includes individuals riding bicycles, pedestrians, dog walkers and emergency vehicle access, according to Riley.

“A lot of other communities which do not get this opportunity are going to lose that enforcement, but we are an older community and any before 2015 where the CC&Rs were in place prior to that, has an opportunity to hold this vote,” she explained.

A quorum of 1,000 eligible voters must vote and 50% plus one must vote yes to keep things in place. Only members in good standing can vote. No associates or tenants are eligible.

The election is set for Monday, March 25. Residents have until Wednesday, March 13, to get an email on file to take part in online voting.

Visit suncitywest.com/2024election/.

We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.

Jennifer Jimenez can be reached at jjimenez@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @scw_independent. Scott Tynes can be reached at stynes@iniusa.org.