The Pima County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a budget for the Fiscal Year 2024-2025.
The final budget included some minor modifications from the tentative budget that was passed on May 21. Overall, the fiscal tweaks from the tentative budget to the final budget balanced each other and the expenditures did not change.
The county plans to spend more than $1.7 billion dollars next fiscal year, which begins July 1. That’s about $34 million less than last year’s budget. The overall tax rate will be $5.1048 per $100 of taxable net assessed value, which is the same rate as last year.
In total, the county plans to raise about $575 million in taxes, with another $254 million coming from service charges.
Board of Supervisors Chair Adelita Grijalva said, “I’m pleased we were able to avoid increasing tax rates.”
Grijalva acknowledged, however, that because home valuations have risen, many homeowners will be paying more in taxes. She also said that over the past five years, Pima County has reduced the overall tax rate by about 45 cents.
Seven members of the public came to the June 18 board of supervisors meeting to speak out against what they called increased taxes. Mike Aaron accused the supervisors of wanting to spend money “like drunken sailors.” He added, “And I don’t like saying that. My dad was a sailor.”
Robert Royce, who decried raising property taxes and described how, for the first time in his life, he fell behind on tax payments during the pandemic. “You have charged me hundreds of dollars of fees for being poor,” Royce said. “How does that jive with your attitude of taking care of poor people? I don’t get it.”
There are various programs that help seniors who are unable to afford their tax payments or otherwise financially struggle. Those include a freeze program that locks in their property valuation for three years and other community services that help with rent, food and other needs.
During the meeting, Ellen Moulton, director of the county finance department, said that in order for people to pay the same amount in overall taxes to Pima County, taking into account the increases in home values, the supervisors would have had to lower the tax rate to $3.8 per $100.
Sheriff and criminal justice
With a budget of more than $170 million, the Sheriff’s Department will receive, by far, more funding than any other county department. That’s an increase of about $11 million compared to last fiscal year.
The area of the sheriff’s department that will receive the most funding will be corrections, with about 32% of the department’s budget going to the jail. Overall, just under $100 million dollars of the sheriff department’s budget will be for personnel, paying deputies, correctional officers and other non-commissioned staff.
Public defense services will have a budget of just under $40 million, and the county attorney will have a budget of $28.6 million. The behavioral health department will have a budget of $37 million.
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