Managing State Trust Lands Fiduciary Duty in the Changing West

Arizona Trust Land

click map to enlarge	Arizona State Land Department 1616 West Adams Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 602-542-4621 Mark Winkleman, Land Commissioner
Of Interest	Arizona State Trust Land Reform Arizona Trust Lands and Education Funding
State Resources	Arizona State Land Department 2005-2006 Annual Report Trust Land Management in Arizona Arizona FY 2005 Revenues
Current Land Holdings	9.3 million surface acres; 9 million subsurface acres (88 percent of original land grant of 10.5 million acres)
Uses	agriculture, grazing, mining of oil, gas, and minerals, commercial leases, and land sales for commercial and residential development
Primary Revenue Source	land sales for commercial and residential development
Trust Requirements	Lands are held in trust pursuant to the state enabling act and state constitution. Arizona has one of the most restrictive trust management requirements: trust lands and their natural products may be sold only to the “highest and best bidder at public auction;” all lands and leases must be appraised at their “true value” before being offered; and lands cannot be disposed for less than the appraised value. Lands are managed by the Arizona State Land Department under the direction of a state land commissioner who is appointed and serves at the pleasure of the governor.
Beneficiaries	common schools universities legislative, executive, and judicial public buildings penitentiaries insane asylums schools and asylums for the deaf, dumb, and blind miners’ hospitals normal schools charitable, penal, and reformatory institutions agricultural and mechanical colleges a school of mines military institutes county bond payment (once repaid, grant is passed to common schools trust)