Cochise County Jail District reviews revenue, maintenance‑of‑effort and staffing costs

County finance and jail staff briefed the Cochise County Jail District Board of Directors on revenues from the new half‑cent jail sales tax, maintenance‑of‑effort (MOE) calculations and staffing‑related expenditures during the Feb. 11 work session.

A county finance presenter (identified in the meeting as jail‑district finance staff) said tax collection began in January 2024 and noted the FY 2023–24 figures included only half a year of collections. The presentation showed the county budgeted a full year of revenue for FY24–25 and that, as of the briefing, collections were on track to meet or exceed a projected $8.4 million for the full fiscal year. The presenter reported the cash balance from the new half‑cent tax as of Feb. 7, 2025 was $9,353,000 in the fund.

The board discussed the maintenance‑of‑effort calculation that transfers amounts the county previously spent from the general fund into the jail district. Staff said the FY 2022–23 baseline for MOE was $6,800,000 and that the subsequent year’s MOE figure used in calculations…