PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Two Prescott residents are suing the state for allocating over $15 million to the operators of a local rodeo event, claiming the appropriation violated Arizona's gift clause.
The Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest filed the litigation Wednesday on behalf of Howard Mechanic and Ralph Hess, in an effort to stop the state treasurer from distributing the funds to Prescott Frontier Days.
The appropriation was among many items included in the state budget recently passed by lawmakers and signed by the governor. But the plaintiffs argue that the $15 million allocation was given without strings attached.
“In other words, the organization has not promised to do anything in return for the money, including even spending it on the rodeo or the fairgrounds," Danny Adelman, the center’s executive director, said in a statement.
The lawsuit claims the money allocated to Prescott Frontier Days violates a clause in the Arizona Constitution that prohibits the government from distributing monetary gifts to private entities not providing a public service.
"No provisions regarding this appropriation were set forth in any budget reconciliation bill," the plaintiff's attorneys wrote in a court filing. "Indeed, the entity that is set to receive the funds made no promises in any contract as to how the money will be spent."
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has also been critical of the money given to the Prescott rodeo operators, especially since she feels the state budget offered little resources to government agencies.
“Explain to me how that makes sense. State agencies across the board are facing the same situation. These were bad choices that they made,” Mayes told Arizona PBS.
The plaintiffs are attempting to obtain a temporary restraining order from the court to stop the state from distributing the funds.