Cochise County supervisors hear briefing on court funding, staffing and technology gaps

On March 25, 2025, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors heard a work-session briefing in Bisbee on the county’s court system funding, probation caseloads and technology needs.

The briefing, led by Craig Sullivan, executive director of the County Supervisors Association, and court leaders including Presiding Judge David Thorn and Presiding Juvenile Judge Terry Bannon, outlined long-term trends showing counties — including Cochise — paying a larger share of court-related costs while state funding has remained largely flat. Sullivan said the association and the courts have compiled new data to help counties and legislators evaluate funding responsibilities.

The shift in who pays matters because local budgets and property-tax capacity vary widely, Sullivan said. "Historically, we have not had a lot of information to share with county decision makers and the legislature about the state county relations," Sullivan said. "This really came to a head among our Board of Directors about 5 years ago." He added that the association’s recent resolution emphasizes seeking more sustainable state funding for probation officers and other court responsibilities.

County contribution rising, state share stagnant

Data presented by Vanessa Fielder, director of research and analytics for the County Supervisors Association and drawn from Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) reports, showed court expenditures in Cochise County rose roughly 90% over 25 years while county-sourced funding for courts increased about 150% in that span. Fielder summarized that Cochise’s share of court funding has moved from roughly a mid-60s county share in the early 2000s to closer to a 70/30 county/state cost split in more recent years.

Fielder also highlighted probation-specific trends: adult probation expenditures have increased with the county covering a growing proportion, while juvenile detention-related…