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Board approves pay increases and $4.9 million extradition aircraft for Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
Summary
Supervisors approved funding in the FY2026 budget for 10'15% salary increases for deputies, retention bonuses for detention officers, dispatch raises, and a $4.9 million replacement aircraft for extraditions; sheriff's office presenters emphasized safety and operational efficiency as justification.
Maricopa County supervisors approved funding in the adopted FY2026 budget to finalize a compensation package for Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) personnel and to purchase a new extradition aircraft at a cost of $4.9 million.
County staff said the compensation package provides a 10% to 15% pay increase for deputies and ranked law-enforcement positions, a 5% to 10% increase for emergency dispatchers and related management positions, and a one-time detention retention payment budgeted for the first of three years. The board shifted $16.6 million from contingency into the sheriff's office and related compensation items to fund these changes.
Chief Paul Chagoya and members of the sheriff's office extradition and aviation team described the new aircraft as a replacement for an aging 1978 Cessna. Presenters said the newer aircraft will carry an estimated six to seven inmates at once (versus one or two in the current plane), fly at higher altitudes to avoid weather, reduce staff fatigue by cutting repeat trips, and—over a long life cycle—produce fuel and operational savings.
Lieutenant Ken Swingle and Flight Crew Supervisor Lindsay Smith said the county's fixed-wing pilots make frequent extradition trips, often four or five days per week, and that the larger aircraft has de-icing, higher-grade avionics, and more efficient fuel use (presenters said the existing plane uses low-lead avgas, which the new aircraft will not). The sheriff's office CFO, Jim Perndiville, told supervisors the estimated payback period on the aircraft purchase is long—staff estimated roughly 30 years to recoup purchase cost through operational savings—though they emphasized safety and mission suitability as primary rationales.
Supervisors asked about alternatives such as leasing the aircraft. Presenters said the current leasing market for suitable aircraft did not present long-term, fiscally responsible options given the high hours and wear the county places on the asset; staff said buy-versus-lease analysis led to a purchase recommendation.
Funding: county budget staff said the $4.9 million purchase is included in a $16.6 million contingency shift to the sheriff's budget and that the budget impact overall remains neutral because the funds were previously held in contingency. Staff said the county intends to sell or otherwise dispose of the existing aircraft (estimated secondary-market value roughly $100,000 to $200,000) but that disposition details remain to be finalized.
Discussion and next steps: supervisors repeatedly framed the package as a public-safety and employee-safety investment. Board members asked staff to consider disposition options for the old aircraft and to manage implementation costs; the adopted budget provides authority to expend the appropriations and the county will manage asset disposition and related O&M consequences within departmental reporting requirements.
Direct quotes in this article come from Chief Paul Chagoya, Lieutenant Ken Swingle, Lindsay Smith, Jim Perndiville, and county budget staff as recorded in the public hearing.
