Pima County Adopts $1.81B Tentative Budget, Approves $150K for Domestic Violence Services

TUCSON — The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Tuesday to adopt a $1.81 billion tentative budget for fiscal year 2026-27, setting the maximum spending ceiling ahead of final adoption scheduled for June 23, while also approving $150,000 in contingency funding for domestic violence victim services and directing the county administrator to investigate governance concerns at the Industrial Development Authority.

The tentative county budget of $1,809,953,662 carries an effective tax rate of $5.2835 per $100 assessed valuation, up from $5.19 in the current year — an increase of approximately 8 cents. Supervisor Steve Christy cast the lone dissenting vote. County Administrator Jan Lesher told the board the budget was built around principles of preserving reserve levels, supporting workforce recruitment and retention, investing in infrastructure, and protecting services for vulnerable residents. Finance and Risk Management Director Art Cuaron noted total revenues are projected at $2.1 billion, up $57.1 million or 3.9% over fiscal year 2025-26, while expenditures of $1.8 billion represent a $58.5 million or 3.3% increase. The general fund, the county's largest at $870 million, draws its majority from property taxes at $530 million and state and other tax revenues at $260.5 million.

The board adopted a friendly amendment, offered by Chair Jennifer Allen, adding $450,000 to the budget for rural community needs — funded by a corresponding reduction to the $11.9 million contingency reserve. The amendment directs $30,000 to the International Sonoran Desert Alliance's Ajo One Stop program, $20,000 to bridge a funding gap in senior meal programs in Ajo and Flowing Wells between July 1 and Oct. 1, and $400,000 for a pilot quarterly road-grading program for rural dirt roads countywide, with criteria for prioritization to be developed by the Department of Transportation. Supervisor Rex Scott noted the road-grading funds could benefit unincorporated areas across multiple districts.

Board Approves $150K for Domestic Violence Services, 4-1

The board voted 4-1 to approve a $150,000 contingency expenditure to shore up domestic violence response programs facing federal funding cuts. Supervisor Christy voted no. The $150,000 will support after-hours victim advocacy and emergency shelter through EMERGE, strangulation forensic exams through the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, and $90,000 to fund half of the domestic violence firearm transfer program administered through the city's domestic violence court. Lesher told the board the request was driven in part by reductions from the federal Office on Violence Against Women, which she said has seen more than $500 million in cuts nationally.

Supervisor Andrés Cano, who introduced the item, cited the program as essential to a court-coordinated response to domestic violence and said the issue had "impacted generations of Pima County residents." Allen noted that nearly three women are killed daily in the U.S. by intimate partners, and that federal defunding had forced local organizations to absorb lost resources. Supervisor Scott credited Cano's advocacy and praised Lesher for facilitating dialogue with the city to sustain Judge Wendy Million's domestic violence court program.

Board Directs Administrator to Review IDA Before End of Month

The board voted 5-0 to direct Lesher to meet with the five current members of the Industrial Development Authority board, staff from the three affiliate organizations, and legal counsel to review governance and fiscal compliance — and report back before the end of May. The action came after an addendum item seeking removal of all IDA board members was pulled in favor of a more deliberate process. Lesher told supervisors that approximately $45 million in mortgage assistance funds must be committed before month's end, making timely resolution critical.

The item drew pushback during public comment from IDA board members and their attorneys. Ken Silverman, a board member, said he was notified only at 3:30 p.m. that day of the proposed removal. Attorney Max Larnard, general counsel for the IDA, said removing the entire board at once "would create significant disruption" to ongoing reform efforts. Patrick DeConcini, described as the newest IDA board member, told supervisors he had recently helped institute new conflict-of-interest policies, hired new legal counsel, and was renegotiating a key service contract, and said no board member had been contacted before the removal was proposed. Cano said the board's fiduciary obligations required it to ensure the IDA's timeline was not disrupted.

Board Approves 2026 Primary Election Voting Locations, 5-0

The board voted 5-0 to approve Resolution 2026-31, establishing early ballot drop-off sites and emergency voting locations for the 2026 primary election. Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly told supervisors that early voting ballots will no longer include privacy envelopes, transitioning to a one-envelope solution with signatures visible on the exterior. She confirmed that party-designated observers will be allowed at early voting sites under a recently enacted state law, saying, "I am required by law to allow observers into my early voting site."

Cázares-Kelly also told supervisors that ballot drop boxes are being pursued for Sahuarita ahead of the primary and that a VoteMobile schedule for locations including Ajo would be posted as a separate hyperlink on the county website to avoid confusion about single-day availability. Supervisor Scott requested post-election data on the percentage of independent or no-party-designated voters who requested partisan primary ballots in 2022, 2024, and 2026, noting that roughly one-third of all Arizona voters fall into that category.

Tentative Budget Includes 3% Pay Adjustment, New Employee Benefits

The proposed budget includes a 3% market compensation adjustment for county employees, following a 5% increase in the prior year's budget. Two new benefit programs were announced: a student loan repayment benefit capped at $5,250 annually and a childcare subsidy of $2,500 per year per employee, with $1.3 million budgeted for each program. Health insurance premiums for employees were held flat. Cano noted that with the pay adjustments and new benefits, employees with student loans and children could see up to nearly $10,000 in additional annual support.

Cano raised a separate concern, citing a county administrator memo showing that 1,000 of the county's approximately 7,000 full-time employees earn less than $45,000 annually, and that 217 full-time employees take home less than $1,000 per biweekly paycheck. He said targeted adjustments for lower-wage workers would be a priority in next year's budget process. The board voted 3-2 to approve a supplemental budget request by Supervisor Dr. Matt Heinz adding $186,000 to permanently fund community health workers in the Office of Communicable Diseases' noncommunicable disease program, replacing a federal grant that is being canceled. Supervisor Scott and Christy voted no, with Scott expressing concern about selectively overriding denied DREAM budget requests after a process in which $33 million in such requests were not approved.

Also discussed:

The board adopted tentative budgets for the Flood Control District ($19,558,296), Library District ($63,454,352, passed 4-1 with Christy voting no), Stadium District ($9,645,670, passed 4-1 with Christy voting no), Rocking K South Community Facilities District ($4,930,829), Wildflower Community Facilities District ($0), and Debt Service fund ($98,766,269), all by roll call vote.
Allen issued a proclamation designating June 13 as Pima County Family Reunification Day, noting it was the fourth annual event recognizing families who have successfully reunified children from foster care.
The county administrator's office reported 50 applications received for the county administrator position as of May 21, with a May 30 deadline; finalist names will be made public under Arizona public records law, with final selection anticipated in September.
The board voted 5-0 to schedule a joint meeting with the Tucson Mayor and Council on Thursday, Aug. 13, from noon to 2:30 p.m.
Supervisors voted 5-0 to allow study session start times to be set on a case-by-case basis by the agenda committee.
The board discussed the Elections Oversight Task Force, with Christy requesting that the board of supervisors be kept informed of all committee activities; Lesher agreed to revise the committee's founding documents accordingly.
Three fireworks permits — two for Tucson Country Club and one for Forty-Niner Country Club — were approved, each passing 3-1 with one abstention.
A zoning code text amendment for subdivision and development street standards (Case P26TA00002, Ordinance 2026-7) was approved 5-0.
The consent calendar was approved 5-0.