Pima County Budget Passed: See What's Included Here

TUCSON, AZ — The fiscal year 2022 budget has been passed by members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors.

The $2.1 billion budget, the largest in county history, includes $300 million to stabilize the county's retirement system, the county said.

The 2022 budget also includes funding for more than 300 miles of road repairs and a net decrease in the county's property tax rate to 11.56 cents per $100 of net assessed value, with a combined tax rate of $5.1952 per $100 of assessed value.

The board voted 4-1 on Tuesday to approve the primary tax rate of $3.8764, down 1.2 percent from the 2021 rate.

Additionally, the board unanimously voted to approve the Pima County library district's budget and tax rate of $0.5353, which is the same as it was in 2021.

The board also voted unanimously to approve the Regional Flood Control District's budget and tax rate and the county's debt service tax rate. The rate for the latter is still $0.3335, while the latter is $0.45, which is 13 percent less than in 2021.

Here's what is else is included in the county's 2022 fiscal year budget:

• Early Childhood Education: $10 million for preschool education program that includes county-issued scholarships for qualifying students.
• Library Expansions: The Public Library District will receive funding for the completion of the Sahuarita Library, in addition to the Elias-Mission and Martha Cooper branches.
• Road Repairs: The 2022 budget includes around $85 million in road pavement repair and maintenance. The pay-as-you-go, or PAYGO, system will see around 300 miles of county roads fixed, with around 500 miles of road repairs scheduled in the next two years.
• Houghton Road Improvement Project: The county allocated $52.9 million for two projects along Houghton Road on the east side of Tucson, in addition to widening the northern portions of Kolb Road.
• Deputy Body Cameras & Tasers: A total of $2.7 million is allocated to provide body cameras and tasers for Pima County Sheriff's Department deputies.
• Northwest Service Center: A total of $3.7 million is allocated for the renovation work on Miracle Mile of the county's Northwest Service Center, which will house various county agencies going forward.
• County Employee Minimum Wage: A total of $4.3 million is allocated to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour for county employees, which is around a $3 an hour raise from the state's minimum wage. The increase will impact close to 2,000 county employees.
• Outside Agency Funding and CDBG: A total of $10 million is allocated for partner organizations, such as the Pima Council on Aging, Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, the YMCA of Southern Arizona, El Tour de Tucson and Tucson Meet Yourself, among others.