Republic Investment Fund I v. Town of Surprise

OPINION

GORDON, Chief Justice.

These two cases, consolidated for our review, raise the issue of the constitutionality of the Arizona deannexation law, former version A.R.S. § 9-471 (Laws 1986 Ch. 45, § 4, as amended by Laws 1986 Ch. 414, § 1). The municipalities involved in both cases claim the statute is unconstitutional as a prohibited special or local law under Ariz. Const, art. 4, pt. 2, § 19(20), which provides:

No local or special laws shall be enacted in any of the following cases, that is to say:

$ * * * $ $

20. When a general law can be made applicable.

The two divisions of the court of…