The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved a series of taxes and funds on Tuesday that make up the $1.76 billion budget for the 2024 fiscal year. The budget included money for road improvements, housing and crime reduction.
The 2024 budget is $172 million less than the current fiscal year and sets the combined County property tax rate at $5.1048, which is 3.96 cents more than the current year.
“This is a fair budget that holds the line on taxes while still funding programs to assist Pima County’s most vulnerable communities,” said Board Chair Adelita Grijalva. “I am glad to say that our budget is funding more affordable housing and protecting fragile desert ecosystems through open space acquisition. The board had to make a lot of tough choices in this budget, and I think it’s a good foundation for meeting the needs of everyone in our County.”
In the meeting, the board:
- Voted 3-2 to approve the overall County budget and set the primary property tax rate at $4.0102 per $100 of assessed value.
- Voted 3-2 to adopt the Library District budget and set the district property tax rate at 54.93 cents per $100 of assessed value.
- Voted 5-0 to adopt the Regional Flood Control District budget and set the district tax rate at 32.53 cents per $100 of assessed value.
- Voted 5-0 to approve the tax rate to pay back County debt at 22 cents per $100 of assessed value.
It also approved the budget for the Kino Stadium District, which operates Kino Sports and Entertainment Complex. The complex is funded through facility rental fees, bed taxes, and the County’s general fund.
The budget also addressed four focus areas:
- Critical Infrastructure
- Allocates $232 million in capital improvements, including $43 million in road repair and construction
- Provides nearly $9 million for affordable housing
- Designates $2 million to preserve fragile desert and mountain lands through open space acquisition
- Justice and Law Enforcement
- Includes continued funding for Sheriff’s Department salary increases
- Funds crime reduction and prevention programs
- Financial Stability
- Maintains the County’s General Fund reserve, ensuring financial stability that is routinely recognized by credit rating agencies, which rank the County as a low-risk, AAA organization for bonding and lending purposes
- Is a conservative budget that accounts for potential economic headwinds during the fiscal year
- Pima County as an Employer of Choice
- Allocates $14 million to implement a market-based-pay system to keep the County competitive with pay rates in the private and public sectors
- Provides $5 million to improve employment recruiting to attract top talent to the County.
