The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors last week unanimously approved a $3.4 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts Thursday.
The main change from the tentative budget the board approved in May was a reduction almost $900,000 to the budget because of lost revenue now that Litchfield Park has switched from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to Avondale Police for its public safety services.
The budget also includes a reduction in the county’s share of property taxes, which was announced in May. The board cut the county’s property tax levy by 5.5 cents per $100 of assessed value. For a homeowner with property assessed at $500,000, it would translate to an annual savings of $275.
“I do think that it’s significant that we lowered the rate, showing that we are very conscious of trying to ensure that we are staying as efficient as possible here in the county,” said board Chairman Jack Sellers after the board approved the final budget Monday, June 21.
County staff noted the change in the county’s property tax levy will not be made official until Monday, August 16.
Litchfield Park City Council unanimously voted to terminate the city’s contract with MCSO in April. The change is effective at the start of the new fiscal year on Thursday.
The change will cost the county $898,479 in revenue. That reduction was offset slightly because the cost for security services at the county’s Durango Detention Facility came in $20,000 less than county staff had originally expected. With this offset, the county’s budget saw a net reduction of $878,479. The reduction is only 0.00026% of the county’s $3.4 billion budget.
Litchfield Park City manager Matthew Williams recommended the City Council change agencies based on a number of factors, including 10% annual increases for MCSO services; repeated complaints of unchecked speeding and street racing on Litchfield Road and Old Litchfield Road; a need for community policing and officers who are familiar with the city, its businesses and business owners; repeated turnover of MCSO deputies serving Litchfield Park; reluctance to enforce the city’s truck ordinance; slower response times within city limits when deputies are busy with calls in unincorporated areas; and a 70% drop in city court business since 2015.
County Supervisor Clint Hickman indicated during last week’s meeting that the board had not been told why Litchfield Park was terminating the contract at the time of the meeting.
Highlights of the county budget, include:
Funding 30 new positions for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health which led the effort to protect the community from COVID-19 through public education, case investigation, data sharing, testing and vaccination.
$5 million toward long-term solutions to homelessness, including shelters and temporary housing
Continuing rental and utility assistance programs aimed to keep people in their homes and prevent evictions that hurt families and the local economy
Adding staff and resources to the Office of the Medical Examiner to keep pace with growth, after a year where, unfortunately, the number of deaths spiked
Funding a new command center for the Emergency Management Department, which has distributed more than 20 million units of personal protective equipment over the past year to healthcare providers, public safety professionals, schools and long-term care facilities
Supervisor Steve Gallardo, the lone Democrat on the five-person board, pointed out a few things he liked about the budget.
“It’s a solid budget, and I think it is fair,” he said. “It is something that I’ve always said that, ‘Come growth, comes responsibility.’ And I think that we’re tackling those responsibilities in this budget. We have a lot of new funding, particularly when it comes to public health. I think that is very critical, considering the time that we are in right now, coming out of a terrible pandemic.”
Gallardo also said additional funding for homeless services is “greatly needed.”
Editor’s note: Litchfield Park/Goodyear Independent News Editor Kelly O’Sullivan contributed to this report.
Mark Carlisle can be reached at mcarlisle@newszap.com or found on Twitter @mwcarlisle.
Mark Carlisle Associate Editor | Phoenix @mwcarlisle
Mark Carlisle joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, covering Glendale. He has since moved to the Daily Independent team, primarily covering the city of Phoenix along with other topics affecting the Valley at-large.
Community: Mark enjoys taking his young son to BabyTime at the Phoenix Public Library, to the OdySea Aquarium and to various sporting events around the Valley.
Education: Chapman University with a BA in English Journalism and one in Screenwriting.
Random Fact: Mark worked at a tuxedo shop in college. Just don’t ask him to tie a bowtie.
Hobbies: Spending time with his wife, son and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.
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