TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Government decisions usually boil down to money. In Tuesday’s Pima Supervisors meeting, Supervisors considered money to reduce homelessness, the overall County Budget, and the money that’s not coming in from the Feds anymore.
With a lot of people in Pima County simply living life on the streets, County Supervisor Matt Heinz is working on a plan to devote more money for low income housing.
Supervisor Matt Heinz says existing homeless programs help but are not large enough to encourage developers to build enough low income housing to make a significant dent in the shortage of affordable rentals.
He’s trying to convince Supervisors to devote an extra share of the property tax to housing over ten years. He’s proposing 1.5 percent the first year, three percent for eight years and 1.5 percent at the end. He says budget cuts would keep homeowners from paying more property tax overall in the first year.
“Over the next decade this would bring in approximately $225 million over that time, and that should get us, based on previous experience, that should get about 12 and a half thousand (12,500) either new affordable housing units or refurbished ones that are preserved. So that's about 1/3 of the problem would be solved but just by this proposal, which is a big chunk, but we still have more to go.”
Supervisors want more time for them, and the public to consider details of the plan so they agreed to postpone a vote until two weeks from now.
Supervisors considered their overall budget. They will have a formal vote to accept it next month.
The budget’s been tougher to write because of loads of last minute changes to what the Federal Government sends the county, and the threat of more cuts in the proposed new Federal Budget.
The County is suing to recover $12 million in money FEMA promised to cover the cost of temporarily sheltering migrants immigration officials dropped off at County Shelters.
Pima County officials are worried about $26 million dollars in other Federal Grants will be cut. Much of that money is for health, housing, job developments and transportation.
