Arizona may have made history by hosting the first gathering of state leaders of its kind in more than 150 years, but taxpayers didn’t get a vote on whether they wanted to foot the bill.

The cost: $7,000, and growing.

More than 70 delegates from 19 states and several unofficial representatives from three other states gathered in Phoenix for four days last week for the Balanced Budget Amendment Planning Convention.

The intent was to plan what would be the first Article V convention in American history, at which state leaders would propose to restrict federal spending. 

The Arizona House paid $7,082.51 for several catered breakfasts and lunches for attendants, as well as funding shuttle service, lanyards for convention badges, commemorative coins, buttons and other office supplies. 

Shuttle services were the largest cost, at $2,246.40, followed by lunch catered by Carolina’s Mexican Food at $934.86. The commemorative coins cost $509.

Oh, and then there was the $300 bill for a pre-convention conference call with Rob Natelson, an expert on constitutional law and the Article V process.

He works for conservative think tanks the Heartland Institute and Independence Institute, both of which advocate for cutting taxes and decreasing government spending. Both also oppose “nanny state” regulations on alcohol and tobacco, and are skeptics of climate change. 

A number of Arizona legislative employee staffed the convention, but they didn’t get any payment above the salaries they would have received anyway. 

Participating Arizona lawmakers did get some extra money. In addition to their $24,000 annual salaries, lawmakers can get per diem and mileage reimbursements for time spent at the Legislature.

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State officials don’t yet have a cost estimate for lawmakers, but it could climb into the thousands of dollars.

Per diem is $35 a day for those living in Maricopa County and $60 for those who reside outside. Lawmakers also can seek mileage reimbursements to and from their home addresses.

Arizona had seven delegates and seven alternates at the convention. The delegates attended each day.

Three of the seven list primary addresses outside Maricopa County. 

And then there’s mileage. The Legislature passed a bill earlier this year increasing the state mileage reimbursement to the federal rate of 53.5 cents a mile, up from 44.5 cents. 

Delegate Sen. Don Shooter, who claims a Yuma home address, and delegate Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, would collect about $200 each for round-trip journeys from their home addresses.

It’s unclear whether all the alternates attended and for how many days, but we spotted Sen. Steve Montenegro of Litchfield Park and Sen. Sonny Borrelli of Lake Havasu City at least once each.

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