Oro Valley court near project completion; operating budget held nearly flat

Presiding Judge Chase and court staff reported progress on a multi'phase court expansion and a flat operating budget at Oro Valley's May 5 budget study session.

Project status and schedule: Judge Chase said phase 3 of the court expansion should be finished next week and the larger project is expected to conclude around September with a potential grand opening in November; staff said construction phasing required limiting in'person court days but that the expansion is on budget.

Budget posture and revenues: The court will operate under a flat, no'growth operating budget for FY2026, Judge Chase said; the court collects fines and fees from users but stressed courts are not designed to be revenue-generating in a way that drives municipal budgets. Court staff identified capital spending tied to the expansion as a continuation of prior-year appropriations rather than a new request next year.

Staffing and operations: The court's finance role is being filled on an hourly/contract basis by Britney Kimble, who relocated out of state for school; Judge Chase said the position is now an hourly contract and that the town plans to refill the position when the current contracted employee departs. The court expects to resume a fuller in-person court schedule after construction is completed.

Council questions: Vice Mayor Barrett asked about O&M and capital expense categories; finance staff explained the capital request represents continuation of the court expansion project and that other O&M increases are largely from mandated fees and external charges such as county jail fees and vendor charges.

Conclusion: Judge Chase said the court seeks to complete construction within budget, reopen full in-person services after the project ends and maintain constitutional limits on relying on court fines as a revenue source.