…The result is that federal and state taxpayers spend hundreds of millions of dollars a year fighting Arizona wildfires and recovering from their aftermath, rather than spending tens of millions of dollars to thin forests….
“The only way local government is going to have the authority and the political cover they need to make these decisions is to hit their budget,” said Rasker, of Headwaters Economics.
If local officials had to balance wildland-fire fighting with funding for parks, street repairs and other civic duties, they might reconsider what kind of development they allow in fire-prone areas, Rasker said…