Instead, the Land Department will be expected to indefinitely manage and maintain vacant desert land completely surrounded by development. In order to accomplish this new mission, the Land Department will need a sizable increase in their operating budget to perform functions and duties previously not expected of them. All Arizona taxpayers do. This Most of rural Arizona does not suffer from a lack of open space. While some lands in rural Arizona might be included in the land set-aside, the main focus will no doubt lie in areas surrounding Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa and Tucson.
Open space is good.
No one can argue that. How we create and maintain that open space, however, is the question we must answer. To set land aside without truly understanding the impact and costs of doing so is wrong. As we debate this issue, lets at least be honest in calculating the cost of conservation. Let's make sure it is a price that we, as Arizonans, are willing to pay.