PHOENIX - Arizona cities are preparing for a fight over the money they receive annually from the state, but it’s not entirely clear if Republican lawmakers are even planning on tinkering with the nearly 40-year-old program that sends hundreds of millions of dollars to municipalities each year.

Last week, Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman used his state of the city address to launch what appears to be a pre-emptive strike against any legislative raid on state-shared revenues.