Maricopa County adopts tentative FY2026 budget amid disputes over state cost shifts, jail excise tax and election services

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Monday approved a tentative fiscal year 2026 budget totaling $3,955,121,599 and set hearings for final adoption, while extensively debating state-mandated payments, a long-running sheriff’s office consent decree, and possible election-cost increases tied to a dispute with the county recorder.

The budget presentation, delivered by Mike McGee and Kirsten Prindle of the county budget office, recommended increased spending on public safety and employee retention, maintained two months of reserves and used conservative revenue assumptions tied to state-shared sales-tax projections.

Why it matters: supervisors said the plan preserves core services while reducing the county’s overall property tax rate; they also warned that several external items — notably a state juvenile corrections payment, changes to Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) payments and unresolved negotiations with the county recorder — could force midyear budget adjustments or cuts.

The board’s motion to adopt the tentative budget — and to publish the five-year capital improvement plan — passed unanimously. Chairman Galvin and other supervisors praised staff for the multi-month process that produced the proposal.

What the budget does: the FY2026 proposal holds line-item spending for mandated services while increasing investments in public-safety personnel and infrastructure. The presentation listed the county’s staff-to-population ratio at 3.08 employees per 1,000 residents and reported a net increase of 85 positions, bringing the budgeted total to 15,147 positions. The capital program in FY2026 totals $452.7 million; the recommended tentative budget also…