Cochise County jail-tax spending questioned at public comment; board approves consent items

A resident urged Cochise County officials on Sept. 16 to disclose detailed records of jail-district tax revenues and spending at a Jail District meeting in Bisbee, saying the sums collected and paid so far differ from what voters were told. After public comment, the Jail District board approved consent agenda items 1 and 2.

The comment came from Miss Morse, who said she attended multiple two-hour town-hall meetings and still had questions about the district’s finances. "We were initially told that 13 to $14,000,000 was collected, and I've recently learned that the total income was almost $17,300,000," Morse said. She added that "over 1 and a half million dollars has already been spent, so the current balance is over 15 and a half million dollars." Morse asked whether more revenues are expected and why there is a "maintenance of effort overrun" she described as "almost $1,170,000." She also questioned several specific expenditures she said had been paid from jail-tax revenues, including a $26,000 payment to Bisbee Plumbing in November 2023 and about $80,000 to an interim public management contractor in 2024.

Morse also referenced a legal settlement she called the LaChance settlement and said the settlement had found the previous jail-district tax election to be "unlawful, null, and void." She told the board she expected tax collection, spending, and planning for a new jail to have stopped at that time and criticized continued payments she said were made after the settlement, naming payments to Philip Berdong and Chin Planning totaling "well over $130,000." Morse said the board approved "last month, on October 19," a contract for almost $400,000 with a construction management company, Veneer, and called continued spending before a new election "carts before the horses, an unlawful and improper use of these funds." She asked the board to "disclose all pertinent information and documentation" before the Nov. 4 jail-district tax vote so voters can make an informed decision.

Board discussion that followed focused on outreach and the town-hall process rather than responding line-by-line to the financial figures Morse cited. A supervisor (District 2) reported viewership counts for the district’s town halls, saying Sierra Vista had 2,138 views, Douglas had 2,984, Huachuca City had 1,476, Alfreda (as stated) had 1,627, "Sunside" 931, Bisbee 1,136, Wilcox 904 and Tombstone 773. That supervisor said two additional town halls were scheduled for Sept. 17 in Sierra Vista and Sept. 24 in Benson and told listeners the recordings are available on the county website.

Following public comment, a motion was made and seconded to approve consent agenda items 1 and 2. The board chair called the question and, after members present voted "aye," the chair announced the consent agenda item was approved. The meeting record indicates all supervisors were present and in person for the Jail District meeting.

The Jail District meeting adjourned and the board proceeded to the regular Cochise County Board of Supervisors meeting. The public commenter’s requests for disclosure and the financial figures she cited were recorded in her remarks but the board did not take additional formal action on those disclosure requests during the Jail District portion of the meeting.