Cochise County supervisors adopt $293.1 million fiscal 2025-26 budget; restore small enhancement allocation after debate

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 on July 8 to adopt Resolution 25-18, setting the county’s final fiscal year 2025-26 budget at $293,120,335.

The adopted total includes $110,635,215 in the general fund and $182,485,750 in special revenue funds, and the board approved the funding requests shown in the resolution’s attached exhibit. County officials said the adopted budget preserves a contingency balance of about $18,560,000.

The vote concluded a public hearing on the budget for which no members of the public asked to speak. After the vote, board members and staff discussed several follow-up items including a staff work session on health-department funding and a separate work session on economic development related to the port of entry.

Supervisor Gomez argued for restoring parts of the district-level community enhancement funds reduced during earlier budget work sessions. Gomez described the request as targeted aid for local nonprofits and basic services in high-poverty parts of the county and asked the board to “get that 50,000 to go back.” She cited poverty and child-poverty statistics for Douglas and other small communities as the rationale for the local grants.

A county staff member explained that a 2020 board policy sets criteria for community enhancement funds and that projects outside that list require unanimous board approval. The staff member said previously returned enhancement balances are moved to contingency at fiscal year-end and can be reallocated from contingency; the staff member also said the board could amend the adopted budget during the fiscal year under Arizona law. After discussion, board members gave direction to staff to prepare a budget amendment to move $25,000 back into Supervisor Gomez’s enhancement funds (board members indicated they would each contribute $25,000 to restore part of the prior allocation). The board did not take a separate roll-call vote on that transfer during the July 8 meeting; staff said they would implement the direction as a budget amendment.

Supervisors also asked county staff for a work session with the health department and its finance staff to explain why the general fund subsidy to the health department increased while grant and special-revenue funding decreased. County staff said they would provide additional detail and historical context at a future meeting.

Votes at a glance: Resolution 25-18 (final county budget FY2025-26) — motion to adopt the resolution carried, 3-0. Consent agenda item 1 — approved, 3-0. A motion to schedule a Truth in Taxation hearing was discussed and later removed from the calendar after the board concluded no net county tax increase would occur under the adopted figures.

The board scheduled two follow-ups: a work session with health-department fiscal staff to review revenue and expense shifts, and a separate work session on the county’s port-of-entry economic strategy. The board also noted a special meeting later that day on pending litigation that may include an executive session.