Raymond Bladine, executive director of the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission.The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission held off on its threat to go to court Friday for the funding it needs to continue its work, commission Executive Director Ray Bladine says.
Bladine says he was told by House Appropriations Committee Chairman John Kavanagh that legislators will make an additional appropriation to the commission in a few days, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
Commission officials have said the high cost of earlier court cases drained them of their original legislative allocation. Those cases included a commission suit against the governor and the Legislature after they tried to remove commission Chair Colleen Mathis. The commission won at the state Supreme Court.
The commission also had to fight an Open Meeting Law case in Maricopa County Superior Court after Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne opened an investigation on a claim that the law had been violated in telephone meetings and other closed-door proceedings. The commission won that case, too, but spent an estimated $500,000 on lawyers and other legal costs.
The commission's mapping work is completed. It is awaiting word from the U.S. Justice Department on the maps and anticipates more expenses to deal with questions and related issues.
Republicans in control at all levels of state government have consistently questioned the commission's fairness, saying it began by hiring a Democratic-leaning map consultant and then drew maps that favored Democrats over Republicans.
The commission drew nine new congressional districts, one more than Arizona had last decade, and redrew the state's 30 legislative districts. All will be in effect for this year's regular elections and for the next decade.
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