Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a heat emergency in 2023, freeing up $200K. Only 1 agency got paid

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs declared a state of emergency following a deadly stretch of scorching heat last summer, freeing up $200,000 to help local governments recoup costs of their response.

Just under $1,600 of that was actually spent, according to the state.

The money was a key part of the Hobbs administration's multifaceted response to the heatwave, which may serve as a lesson as the state careens toward another summer. Hobbs was criticized by some for acting too slowly last year, but praised by others for treating the heat as a health issue.

No single explanation emerged for why the vast majority of the emergency funding wasn't used. Government bodies eligible for the money cited the timing, other funding availability or complicated rules as factors for why they didn't apply.

Asked to provide an assessment of whether the money was effective, a spokesperson for the governor did not answer directly. In a statement, spokesperson Christian Slater said there were "limited tools" for heat response at the state level and pointed to Hobbs' proposed budget, which acknowledges that funding done on a reimbursement basis can "impede" local agencies' response.

Hobbs' proposal includes a policy change that would allow as much as $500,000 to go to local agencies upfront. Slater also touted other efforts, like hiring a first-in-the-nation chief heat officer, and said Hobbs' top priority was the "health and safety of Arizonans."

"Moving forward, the administration will continue working to manage instances of extreme heat and work diligently to keep Arizonans safe," he said.

One agency receives assistance for heat response

Hobbs declared a state of emergency on Aug. 11. It covered Maricopa, Pinal, and Coconino counties, where there were 30 or more consecutive days with excessive heat warnings.

The declaration allowed government entities to apply to cover the cost of their response during the month of July. State law says emergency funding must be done on a reimbursement basis, a fact the Hobbs administration has relied on in the face of claims of a delayed response.

Maricopa County alone recorded 645 heat-related deaths in 2023, a 52% increase from the previous summer. Nearly half of those deaths were people without homes.

Only the City of Maricopa Fire/Medical Department completed an application for the emergency funds, according to Judy Kioski, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. Their reimbursement, $1,592.43, covered costs to respond to heat-related medical calls, according to Kioski. The state agency, often known as DEMA, handled oversight of the emergency and the related funding.

Maricopa documented and was reimbursed for vehicle mileage and use, helping to offset expenses "that are often above and beyond our normal operating costs," city spokesperson Monica Williams said. Williams said the department regularly tracks such data "to ensure that if an emergency is declared later down the line, we can utilize any assistance that is offered."

Kioski said often eligible applicants will determine they have money to cover the costs or can find reimbursements elsewhere.

That was the case in Mesa, where heat relief centers were paid for by a county grant and a donation campaign, city spokesperson Ana Pereira said.

The unspent money ultimately goes back into the state's main bank account, which funds state government from year to year.

Why more groups did not apply

Hobbs' emergency declaration was "a significant and timely action," said Jake Rhoades, fire chief at the Buckeye Fire-Medical-Rescue Department and vice president of the Arizona Fire Chiefs Association.

"However, many entities already had plans in action to deal with their populations at that time," Rhoades said, thanking Hobbs for her preparation heading into this summer. "Her appointment of the Chief Heat Officer opens the door to additional planning, collaboration, awareness campaigns and funding opportunities to deal with heat relief in our communities."

There was no shortage of awareness that the money was available, according to James Daniels, a spokesperson for Pinal County, one of the three counties eligible to apply for the reimbursement money. The county and state DEMA held a briefing for applicants and offered one-on-one feedback. DEMA held similar sessions in the other eligible counties, too, Kioski said.

Daniels said informal feedback to the county indicated government bodies felt it was "too labor-intensive" to go back and track information like personnel and equipment costs required for the application. And some felt the regulations around the reimbursement were restrictive.

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The county looked at whether it could apply to cover costs after a well in the Town of Mammoth failed during the heatwave, which left a small number of residents without water until the well was re-drilled, Daniels said. The county "ultimately determined that the outage could not be directly related to the extreme heat, and so it was not pursued," Daniels said.

In Phoenix, officials rolled out a city bus near the downtown Human Services Campus to serve as a cooling center. They did so on July 19, meaning only the 11 remaining days in the month were eligible for reimbursement under Hobbs' order. Costs of the bus were minimal and didn't impact service, Phoenix Office of Emergency Management Director Brian Lee said in a provided statement.

"Therefore, given the compressed dates of eligibility, and minimal costs exceeding normal operations, the decision was made by Fire Executive leadership to not pursue the request for public assistance in this case," Lee said.

Hobbs' response to 2023 heat

Slater, Hobbs' spokesman, outlined other actions taken by the administration in addition to the emergency declaration while noting the governor "recognizes the state has limited tools to address" heat emergencies.

He said the governor's budget proposal, currently going through the wringer of bipartisan negotiations at the Capitol, included a $500,000 investment into an emergency fund that would aid local governments.

According to current state law, that money can only be used when "assisting other states with emergencies or natural disasters," but Hobbs' budget proposal calls for a change to allow it to be spent by local entities, too.

Budget documents note reimbursing expenses can "impede the State’s and local’s ability to prepare and respond to emergency situations." Hobbs' proposal would allow DEMA and first responders locally to use resources to prepare for emergencies in Arizona, the budget says.

Hobbs last year ordered the creation of a state heat response plan and signed an executive order that opened new cooling centers, though they were not open 24 hours a day, and coordinated cooling center operations around the state.

The Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan was released in March. It offered a 55-page outline of near-term goals, like creating six mobile cooling centers, and long-term ones, like addressing the state's affordable housing crisis or fighting the federal government for more Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program funds to help residents pay energy bills.

The plan also led to the hiring of Eugene Livar, the state's first heat officer. Hobbs and state health department officials said the post is also the first of its kind in the nation.

Reach reporter Stacey Barchenger at stacey.barchenger@arizonarepublic.com or 480-416-5669.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona heat response: Only 1 agency reimbursed by emergency plan