Pima County plans to spend about $1.8 billion over the next year, while homeowners are likely to see slightly higher property tax bills.
The Board of Supervisors approved the tentative budget for the upcoming fiscal year at Tuesday鈥檚 meeting. The tentative budget sets the maximum spending limit and taxation rate for the county. Supervisors can only lower taxes or spending until the final budget is scheduled for approval in June. Pima County鈥檚 fiscal year starts July 1 and runs through June 30.
The proposed combined county property tax rate is $5.2835 per $100 of taxable property value, which will generate an additional $38.9 million dollars, or a 6.4% increase from the current fiscal year. Property taxes fund about 36% of the county鈥檚 total recommended spending.
Included in the combined tax rate are two proposed hikes in secondary property taxes. County Administrator Jan Lesher has recommended an increase of 7.8% to the library district tax, and an 8% increase to the flood control district tax. A home valued at $100,000 for tax purposes is likely to see increases of a few dollars in both, for example, the Flood Control tax would increase from $31.54 to $34.07 for a home of that value.
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Supervisor Steve Christy voted against the proposed library tax, but voted to approve the tentative budget. The only Republican on the board said his constituents want supervisors to keep property tax rates neutral by lowering the rate to compensate for the rise in assessed value.
In total, the county is likely to spend about $58 million more than the last budget cycle.
Pima County鈥檚 7,000聽employees will see a 3% salary increase and renewed education reimbursement and childcare subsidies, which county officials said is part of an effort to increase recruitment and retention. $40.3 million is also slated for 25 transportation projects.
The county is also recommending increasing its emergency funds due to 鈥渙ngoing geopolitical pressures, rising inflation concerns, and emerging recessionary indicators.鈥 If approved, the new contingency budget would total about $12 million dollars.
The upcoming year鈥檚 budget also includes the $20.8 million generated from the controversial land sale to the developers of the Project Blue data center currently under construction off South Houghton Road.
The land sale proceeds will go toward quality-of-life programs, including neighborhood reinvestment, environmental health, utility assistance, and workforce development, according to county documents.
Board Chair Jen Allen鈥檚 last-minute amendment for $450,000 in support for rural communities will likely change the final budget slightly.
She asked the board to approve $400,000 to fund a pilot program that would increase the amount of times the county evaluates and ranks county roads for repairs from three times a year to four.
鈥淪ome of the most common requests seen in our office are about roads, dirt roads in particular, from Arivaca to Abra Valley,鈥 Allen said.
She also requested $20,000 to fund three months of senior meal programs in Flowing Wells and Ajo, and $30,000 for the International Sonoran Desert Alliance, a nonprofit based in Ajo.
The three tax increases are scheduled for a public hearing on June 23, the same day the final budget adoption is scheduled.
