Pima County is forecasting a 3.3-percent rise in taxable assessed property values in the coming fiscal year, which would be the third consecutive year that figure has risen since bottoming out in 2015 at $7.5 billion.
Whether that spells a property tax cut is another matter.
Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said the county is facing unbudgeted expenses, including a roughly $10 million in budget deficits and additional retirement costs at the Sheriff’s Department. Those costs could cancel out much of the increased revenues from the increased property values.
“It makes a tax rate increase less likely, even with rising expenses of the Sheriff’s Department,” Huckelberry said of the projected tax-base increase.
The Star previously reported that Sheriff Mark Napier is taking measures to address his department’s deficits, including postponing the academy for deputies and corrections officers. He also said he is reducing command staff.
As to the retirement costs, Napier previously said they’re “going to be very difficult for the department to absorb on its own,” adding later: “We’ll find a way to make this work.”
The county’s primary tax rate is about $4.29 for every $100 of assessed value, which worked out to a levy of $335 million for the current fiscal year on a total valuation of $7.8 billion. With the 3.3-percent rise, the same primary rate would bring in an additional $11.1 million.
