Town lobbyist briefs Paradise Valley council on 2026 session, upcoming ballot measures

Doug Cole, the towns contract lobbyist with High Ground, summarized takeaways from the 2026 Arizona legislative session and previewed issues likely to return next year. "We had 2,030 bills," Cole said, noting only 264 were signed into law and about 151 were vetoed. He emphasized the volume of legislation and that many controversial items remain live for the next session.

Cole walked the council through eight statewide propositions that will appear on the November ballot, including a photo-enforcement referral he labeled Proposition 319 and a measure on voter ID and vote-by-mail procedures. He described local wins and losses, noting several preemption bills (for example, on license-plate readers and unmanned aircraft) that municipalities watched closely. "A lot of these things matter for local control," Cole said, adding that some proposals would likely return in amended form next year.

Why it matters: Cole flagged both policy and budget items that could affect town operations — from potential preemption of zoning authority to funding earmarks the town obtained for public-safety equipment and records systems. He also advised council members to expect prefiling activity in November and suggested staff would present draft local legislative priorities in December or January.

Council response and next steps: Councilmembers asked about specific measures (for example, bills affecting water allocations and digital goods tax sourcing). Cole and staff said they would return with legislative-priority materials after the election season and requested that council keep their legislative contact lists active to support outreach.