During a recent Scottsdale City Council meeting, City Attorney Sherri Scott addressed a legal challenge regarding a proposed 0.15% tax ballot measure set for the November 2024 election. The challenge arose after the Superior Court initially found no issues with the ballot description, affirming the city's transparency. However, the Court of Appeals later reversed this decision, deeming the term \"reduce\" misleading and ordering the city to revise the ballot language.

Scott explained that the city now faces a tight deadline to amend the ballot measure language to comply with the Court of Appeals ruling before the ballot goes to print later this week. The council has several options: they can either do nothing, amend the resolution to revise the ballot language, or file an appeal with the Arizona Supreme Court. However, Scott expressed skepticism about the feasibility of an appeal given the time constraints.

The proposed revisions would remove the contentious terms \"reduce\" and \"replace\" from the ballot measure, clarifying that the new tax is intended to fund citywide parks and recreational facilities. The council must decide whether to proceed with the amendments or delay the measure for future elections.

Public comments during the meeting reflected concerns about the rushed timeline for revising the ballot language, with some residents arguing that changing the wording could limit their ability to provide valid arguments against the new measure. The council is expected to deliberate further on the matter in upcoming sessions.