Pima County supervisors continue debate over proposed property-tax increase to fund affordable housing

PIMA COUNTY — The Pima County Board of Supervisors continued discussion May 20 on a proposal from Supervisor Ramón Hines to dedicate a limited property-tax increase to fund affordable housing, sending the item to a June 3 meeting for further work while leaving the county’s tentative budget tax ceiling unchanged.

Hines’s revised proposal would have set a temporary general-fund levy equivalent to a 3-cent increase per $100 of assessed value for most of a 10-year period but with a short ramp up and ramp down (1.5 cents in year 1, 3 cents for eight years, and 1.5 cents in year 10). Hines told the board the shortened ramp would generate “approximately $225,000,000 to be dedicated toward affordable housing, over that decade-long period.”

The proposal sparked lengthy public comment and a wide-ranging board debate about timing, process and taxpayer burden. Supporters included housing advocates and service providers who said local funding is needed to preserve and build deeply affordable units and to prevent homelessness. Opponents — including some homeowners and one supervisor — warned that the plan would redistribute taxpayer money to subsidize rentals and urged waiting for a draft regional housing strategy.

Why it matters: Board members said the decision will shape county housing policy for years and affect county spending priorities. Supporters argued the revenue would accelerate construction, preservation and homelessness prevention; critics said the board should finalize a regional housing plan before committing a new decade-long revenue stream.

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