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PHOENIX — Gov. Jan Brewer signed two pieces of legislation into law Monday that both supporters and opponents say could have significant impacts on Southern Arizona.

With Brewer's signature, Tucsonans will now elect their mayor and City Council members like residents in every other city and town in the state — without a party affiliation next to their name. And Pima County residents will eventually get to decide whether to pay higher taxes to attract Major League Baseball teams to town.

Brewer signed a bill requiring Tucson to hold nonpartisan elections. The change in law also wipes out a long-standing election practice whereby council members represent wards but are elected citywide.

However, her signature may not be the end of the road for this issue, because some already are talking about a court challenge.

The legislation was heavily backed by business groups and opposed by Democrats, who currently control the City Council. The bill is intended to take effect in 2011, when the city will have a mayoral race.

State Sen. Jonathan Paton, R-Tucson, sponsored the legislation. He said Monday that the election changes represented a "tectonic shift" in local politics and governance.

"I think you'll have people who are focusing not on a fringe group in the city in order to appeal for votes," Paton said. "I think they'd have to appeal to a much larger group."

But City Councilman Steve Leal, a Democrat who is not running for re-election this year, said he's going to suggest that the city challenge the issue in court. Leal said the Legislature has no right telling the city what to do.

"If there's a way to challenge this in court, we should do it," Leal said.

Paton, however, said this change actually provides more local control by giving voters in the city's wards more say over who represents them.

"They're using the term 'local control' to control the locals," Paton said. "Just like the federal government has had to tell the states when they're treating their own constituencies unfairly, the state is making it an even playing field."

If that's true, Leal said, Paton should make the change apply to his office, too.

"If Jonathan Paton thinks partisan elections are evil and he needs to protect the people of Tucson, why doesn't he change the state to nonpartisan elections?" Leal said.

Answering his own question, Leal said: "Because the Republicans already control that."

The other bill signed by Brewer requires the Pima County Board of Supervisors to call an election where county residents could decide on raising taxes to lure Major League Baseball teams for spring training.

The election could wait until as late as November 2014 or be held as early as 2010.

The proposed tax increases all vary by sector. The most expensive is on hotels — nearly a half-cent-per-dollar increase. The smallest is for retail — less than a sixth-of-a-cent increase.

In addition to funding the construction and maintenance of new spring-training facilities, 10 percent of the estimated $15 million a year the new tax is projected to raise must be used for youth and amateur sports.

"We're excited that the Legislature and governor are giving Pima County voters the opportunity to weigh in on what they want to do," said Mike Feder, executive director of the Pima County Sports and Tourism Authority. "It's been a long process. It's good to know we're at that stage."

The governor's signature puts the ball in Pima County's court. But County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said there haven't been any discussions yet about how to move forward.

The Board of Supervisors, however, may not be in a rush to do anything. Tucson's two remaining baseball teams — the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks — already have indicated they are leaving. And Huckelberry said the board may also consider whether the current economic recession is the best time to put such a call to voters.

Both the baseball and nonpartisan-elections bills become effective as law on Sept. 30.