[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6506645,"mediaKeyId","5594198-77b2d1c0edeb4baecdaa20b2227a0bbb","parentId",5594198,"title","Maricopa supervisors approve Nataberg cash-deficit levy; board orders review after ATTRA raises concern","audioSeconds",2463,"startMs",4739000,"endMs",7202000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5594198-77b2d1c0edeb4baecdaa20b2227a0bbb&start=4739&end=7202","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5594198-77b2d1c0edeb4baecdaa20b2227a0bbb/thumbnail_4739000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6506645/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Maricopa-supervisors-approve-Nataberg-cash-deficit-levy-board-orders-review-after-ATTRA-raises-concern","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506645-62c9f8f9902f39fbb41c467019d3ebec/orig.mp4?Expires=1770394128&Signature=hCJvCzB~w084cyF4~m~QAy9a5dopkkjin4z5YVng2Ycd3MO~ehBN5I8qf0Ygw94k0zJa5H0nh4LxD86P20oLy2YD2E1VqNSDL6HfDV5Z762QgryCe2~zBlATHcnPTOMN64lE5-nduPkXuLapoCl904cFFfZ~i8ZDMR2MUT4E7rC4EmYi9w2lAslw0X2PaUCjgW-1pf0H72SzATuzRumKCoJLeI9~Q9huB50WVndkDHMCAMFQMc3TvrcFrPoDc4TN73WBoCwQ8DFOpS3u2WwUdpz1bQ74Ds9G7GZzD3GhCcZaY7tP8sRwRnqxGkLtJdG4RK57ra2LNeGRj9qaOZ2XYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Maricopa County","date","2025-08-18T16:13:20Z","article","The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved a cash-deficit school district levy for the Nataberg School District while directing county staff and the county school superintendent's office to investigate concerns raised by the Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA) and to return for further action if necessary.

Diana Zlotechnin, chief deputy school superintendent, told the board that ATRA emailed the office on the previous Friday flagging a possible mistake in Nataberg’s levy submission. She said the superintendent’s office had not had sufficient time to complete a full review but recommended the board approve the levy to comply with statutory deadlines and allow the county treasurer to proceed with tax rolls. “We do suggest that you adopt it today so that we can come back to it if there's an error,” Zlotechnin said.

County legal counsel advised that approval with a prompt follow-up review was appropriate given the deadline. Wes Van Cleave of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said there was limited time to analyze the issue but that the central question is whether a reported shortfall stems from an actual or anticipated deviation in the property tax rolls (which is the statutory basis for a cash-deficit levy) or from other budget or spending decisions.

After debate, the board approved the levy by roll call. Vice Chair Brophy McGee moved approval of the Nataberg levy; Supervisor Stewart seconded. The clerk recorded votes as follows: Supervisor Stewart — yes; Vice Chair Brophy McGee — no (she explained her “no” as a vote to press for deeper review); Supervisor Gallardo — yes; Chairman Galvin — yes. Supervisor Lesko was absent. The motion carried 3–1 with one absence. The board directed the superintendent’s office and county staff to meet with ATRA, the treasurer, assessor and other parties and to return with findings and, if necessary, amendments at a future meeting (the board discussed a September 10 follow-up date).

Why it matters: The vote ensured Nataberg’s levy would be processed on the county tax rolls and preserved the district’s near-term cash flow while preserving the board’s ability to correct any lawful errors and to protect taxpayers. Board members and staff said they want to ensure the county follows the statute and that taxpayers are not charged in error.

Board members also discussed the broader practice and asked staff to review other districts that had similar levies approved earlier in the year — Saddle Mountain, Arlington and Scottsdale were mentioned by staff and ATRA as items to check — and to include any necessary corrections on a future agenda. County staff said the treasurer’s office would perform any required true-up if the board later amends a levy.

Diana Zlotechnin and the county school superintendent’s office committed to a priority review and to briefing the board before any final corrective action.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Supervisors Informal Meeting August 18, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Board of Supervisors approved a cash-deficit levy for the Nataberg School District to meet a statutory deadline but directed county staff and the county school superintendent to review concerns raised by the Arizona Tax Research Association and to return with any required corrections.","taxTitle","Maricopa County, Arizona","taxId",2206,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6506650,"Rounds tells Maricopa supervisors federal cuts, tariffs raise odds of slowdown; urges housing fixes",4028,679000,4707000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5594198-77b2d1c0edeb4baecdaa20b2227a0bbb&start=679&end=4707","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5594198-77b2d1c0edeb4baecdaa20b2227a0bbb/thumbnail_679000.jpg","/articles/6506650/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Rounds-tells-Maricopa-supervisors-federal-cuts-tariffs-raise-odds-of-slowdown-urges-housing-fixes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6506650-ef3c395bf7ec061fcaaf563d18f7e130/orig.mp4?Expires=1770394128&Signature=W8q70spBu7RHs2wUN9eCmfGZHY6ptAvSalw6WBPnvytR0U6QETABDKm24iKTi1gTVm8BkYiV0TImcJDTSy3hV6IF34~uBQwMW9S7IVa5UHcXBAA4nxL2qOmiUK2-Y~746XoqTndFuthewH7-hZS5tLUFuM-y2TGCDTWPyq~q6uMqihzX82FM13u4p4fNJWKbSbBC52Tm5YnYa7HHQlRsYKxfnosDhk5bOsYWdMmoMFYUdjVLtxqrjGauSqw8QU2cFweDQnZdnPPOHQ2noFmhqAAXquuLYiRJOD~uXAv4a7IWWTpCtyl46n6E7di5QCgMe2yYf8FJzU~H-5e1DtTQPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Jim Rounds, an economist with Rounds Consulting, told the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors during a meeting that federal spending reductions and tariffs have increased the odds of an economic slowdown and urged county leaders to use the period to address housing affordability and shore up budgets. “We went through a period where we added $10,000,000,000,000 to our national debt in about 4 years,” Rounds said, adding that the subsequent pullback in government spending (the “G” in GDP) makes the next several quarters harder to read.

Rounds said headline GDP figures are currently difficult to interpret because of timing issues related to imports and one-time policy shifts. He told supervisors that some data revisions and federal policy effects mean economists may not identify a recession until after it has begun. “If I was going to be in 1 state during the next downturn, it would be Arizona,” Rounds said, arguing the state is well positioned but should use the time to do “good housekeeping.”

Why it matters: County revenue and the ability to deliver statutorily required services depend on continued tax collections. Rounds emphasized that for budgeting purposes the simplest, most reliable indicators are employment and state and local tax collections — the figures that determine how much the county actually receives. He warned that government spending reductions alone could be enough to produce a “very mild recession” and recommended conservative budgeting.

On housing, Rounds urged local and state reforms to increase supply without large new appropriations. He described a proposal — still preliminary — to allow conversion of vacant strip malls in Greater Phoenix into multifamily housing while freezing the property tax base for the parcels so cities would not lose revenue, estimating (as a back-of-the-envelope figure) the potential to create about 40,000 units from that single legislative change. He and supervisors also discussed converting underused public buildings, including older school properties, into starter or workforce housing or daycare, and using “innovation sandbox” approaches to pilot regulatory flexibility.

Rounds flagged a mix of technical and structural risks: revisions to Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data that sometimes produce large monthly changes, lower survey response rates that can affect accuracy, tariff-driven cost pass-throughs that could raise consumer prices over time, and potential Medicaid funding shifts to states. On the latter, he said a mild recession for the state could require roughly $1,500,000,000 in reserves to cover revenue declines, and he urged strategic, multiyear planning to absorb potential reductions.

Supervisors asked for detail and next steps during the discussion. They pressed on the timing of a possible downturn and on specific housing and permitting barriers in cities that slow infill and small multifamily projects. Several board members described local permitting and inspection practices that delay openings for small projects and discussed zoning task force work to reduce regulatory friction.

Rounds said the Federal Reserve’s path on interest rates will influence housing market movements, and he estimated mortgage rates would likely need to fall closer to 4–4.5 percent before a substantial wave of “move-up” purchases resumed. He also repeated a point he made throughout the presentation: for county budgeting the most relevant measures are collections and employment, not raw, headline GDP.

The county managers and supervisors thanked Rounds for the briefing; the board moved next to agenda item 2.","Economic consultant Jim Rounds told the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors that federal spending cuts and trade issues increase the chance of a mild recession and urged local policymakers to pursue low-cost housing conversions and fiscal contingency planning.","actionData","errors"]

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Maricopa supervisors approve Nataberg cash-deficit levy; board orders review after ATTRA raises concern

Rounds tells Maricopa supervisors federal cuts, tariffs raise odds of slowdown; urges housing fixes