Pima County supervisors want more time to discuss the county’s three-year economic development plan.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to continue the county’s proposed 2026-2029 Economic Development Strategy so they can have an in-depth discussion on some parts of the plan. They intend to vote whether or not to adopt it on Sept. 22.
The board also asked staff to determine whether a longer discussion of the plan can be added to the Sept. 8 study session, a meeting that happens midday and often involves a deeper dive into the county’s meeting agenda items before the supervisors’ evening meeting.
The economic development plan is the county’s roadmap for how it will strengthen the area’s economy in the coming years.
The plan takes into account county priorities like its prosperity initiative, which focuses on reducing generational poverty and increasing economic opportunities for residents; expanding affordable housing and addressing homelessness; the county’s climate action plan to reduce greenhouse gas and build climate resilience; and the state-mandated land use plan for unincorporated Pima County.
“We’re at a time with such economic instability and unprecedented wealth concentration, and people making our average salary for the region being unable to pay the bills, let alone thrive,” said Supervisor Jennifer Allen, of District 3. “So, you know, our roadmap for strengthening our economy, I really feel should be discussed thoroughly by us and between us.”
Allen said she wants to discuss whether the seven targeted industries on the plan make sense for Pima County, how those industries are determined and whether they have been vetted by the board.
The seven targeted industries are: aerospace and defense; advanced manufacturing; health and health innovation; transportation and logistics; advanced and emerging technologies; clean and renewable energy; and tourism.
Allen also said she would like to see more rural areas included. District 3 covers by far the largest land area of the five county districts, including western Pima County which includes a lot of rural, unincorporated land and the Tohono O’odham Nation.
The perspective of low-wage workers is also missing, Allen said. It’s a perspective that was likely not part of the stakeholder groups county staff talked to as they put together the plan, she suggested.
There is an emphasis on bringing higher wage jobs into the community and supporting programs that help residents gain the skills needed to work those jobs, “but the fact remains that those low wage jobs are still there, and someone’s going to fill them, and then we’re going to have to figure out a way to reach those folks and upskill, reskill,” Allen said.
“It begs the question, and it is a question that the Prosperity Initiative has laid out an answer to, which is about how to raise the floor,” Allen said. “How do we incentivize businesses to invest in increased wages and benefits?”
County staff held public outreach meetings, conducted online surveys and met one-on-one with stakeholders, including “industry, institutional, educational, and civic, jurisdictional and tribal leaders,” according to the document. Pima County Economic Development employees also met internally with other county department representatives and with supervisors.
Comment on the plan
The document is available in the board’s linked meeting agenda items from its Aug. 25 meeting. The 2023-2026 plan can be found on the county’s economic development webpage.
Contact supervisors directly at:
Supervisor Rex Scott, District 1,
520-724-2738
Supervisor Matt Heinz, District 2, 520-724-2702
Supervisor Jennifer Allen, District 3, 520-724-8051
Supervisor Steve Christy, District 4, 520-724-8094
Supervisor Andres Cano, District 5, 520-724-5880
Residents can sign up to speak during the call to the public at the board’s Sept. 22 meeting by filling out a card at the start of the meeting. Public comments can be also emailed to COB_mail@pima.gov.
The plan outlines challenges like, “concern that opposition to specific major projects, including some involving mining, data centers, and large-scale energy development, has contributed to perceptions of unpredictability among investors.” It addresses this concern by making “clear that project-specific outcomes are meaningfully different from systemic governance barriers, and that characterizing the County’s overall business environment through the lens of individual project decisions overstates the structural challenge,” the plan says.
This concern likely is in reference to the organized opposition against Project Blue, a data center proposal in which the Pima County Board of Supervisors approved a land sale to Beale Infrastructure allowing the developer to move forward with the project. Project Blue discussions moved largely in secrecy for five years before that vote. There has also been growing opposition to mining projects south and east of Tucson, as residents worry about water use and damage to natural lands caused by mining.
Another new recommendation prioritizes supporting the University of Arizona’s efforts in developing responsible, sustainable mining technology, “including automation, environmental monitoring and reclamation science.”
As part of the feedback they received, economic development staff added new recommendations, including developing clear guidelines for “evaluating the water and environmental compatibility of business attraction opportunities,” according to the plan.
Supervisor Andres Cano, of District 5, said discussions and more specific recommendations regarding the plan can be addressed outside of regular board meetings or study sessions. Cano said that while it’s important to address Allen’s concerns, he wants to avoid spending too much time “wordsmithing” during a study session.
“I don’t love everything in this plan,” he said. “But the framework is there that I would feel comfortable supporting it today.”
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