Maricopa County adopts FY2026 budget; board funds large pay increases for sheriff's staff and approves $4.9 million extradition plane

The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors on Monday adopted the fiscal year 2026 budget and approved a package of public-safety spending that includes 10%–15% pay increases for deputies, 5%–10% raises for emergency dispatchers and one-time retention payments for detention officers, plus a $4,900,000 purchase of a new extradition airplane for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The budget adoption was unanimous. Chairman Galvin opened the meeting and said the board would consider public hearings and then a special meeting to adopt each budget. Mike McGee, the county chief financial officer, and Kirsten Prindle, deputy budget director, presented the final changes from the tentative FY2026 budget before the board voted to adopt the total county appropriation the budget document names as $3,001,076,905,199.

Why it matters: The board redirected contingency funds to cover the pay adjustments and equipment purchase, saying the moves are meant to retain law-enforcement staff and improve public-safety operations while keeping the county within state expenditure limits.

Key elements of the package and the board discussion

- Pay adjustments and bonuses: The board approved a market-alignment package that McGee described as a 10% to 15% pay increase for deputies and ranked law-enforcement positions and a 5% to 10% increase for emergency operators and dispatch-related management positions. Kirsten Prindle said the law-enforcement market adjustment totals $8,100,000, the dispatch market adjustment totals $373,000, and the detention retention incentive payment will cover the first year of a three-year program. The first-year retention payment for detention officers is budgeted as a one-time $2,500 payment to eligible officers.

- Detention retention historic investment: McGee reminded the board that, at its June 11 meeting, the board approved retention incentive plans that represented a $30,000,000 investment for detention officers through fiscal year 2028; the FY2026 budget includes the first installment.

- Extradition airplane: The board approved $4,900,000 to purchase a new aircraft for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office to replace a 1978 Cessna. Chief Paul Chagoya, representing the sheriff's office, told the board the aircraft “replaces an existing aircraft, which is a 1978 Cessna” and is intended for inmate transportation and detention functions. Lieutenant Ken Swingle, who works in the extradition and aviation divisions, described the new airplane as “basically a game changer for us,” saying it will carry about six to seven inmates per trip compared with one or two in the current plane.

The sheriff's office said the aircraft improves safety by allowing more distance between inmates and crew, reduces staff fatigue by lowering the number of trips, and can fly at higher altitudes and longer ranges to avoid weather that sometimes forces reliance on commercial flights. Jim Perndiville, the sheriff's office chief financial officer, told the board the financial return on investment will be gradual — roughly a 30-year payback — but that the plane's operational life can be 45–50 years. Flight-crew supervisor Lindsay Smith said the fixed-wing pilots operate frequently and that the new plane will be used weekly.

Questions from supervisors addressed capacity, cost comparisons with commercial travel, leasing versus buying, and the disposal or reuse of the existing airplane. The sheriff's office said the old plane could be sold on the secondary market for an estimated $100,000–$200,000 or used as a training aircraft; the office told the board it had investigated leasing but found long-term leasing options were not fiscally advantageous.

- Funding source and budget mechanics: Prindle said the county is shifting $16,600,000 from contingency into the sheriff's office budget to cover the airplane and the personnel changes; she said the total budget impact was net zero because the funding had been held in contingency. Prindle also summarized that the combined tax rate for FY2026 is 1.3481 and that the board is keeping the county tax rate flat while the board will vote to file a primary property tax levy increase.

- Property tax levy and Truth in Taxation: The board voted to file the primary tax levy increase paperwork. The motion on the record moved to approve a proposed primary tax-levy increase of $12,233,134 and to direct the clerk to send the paperwork to the property-tax oversight commission; the motion passed unanimously on roll-call votes. During discussion, Prindle said the board's budget materials described the levy increase as approximately $12,200,000 or about 1.8% and emphasized that the board was keeping the county tax rate flat to maintain consistency ahead of a planned voter decision next year on a jail tax.

- ARPA and one-time funds: Jim Rounds, the county's economic and public-policy consultant, and county staff reiterated that American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds were treated as one-time revenue and must be spent by December 2026. Rounds and staff said the county used ARPA for one-time projects and worked to avoid recurring spending commitments that depend on one-time federal money.

Other district budgets and public comment

- The board also adopted final budgets for related special districts, including the Flood Control District ($105,079,604), the Library District ($48,995,617), and the Stadium District ($9,750,000), each by unanimous vote. Prindle noted those district budgets showed no changes from their tentative budgets and included small reductions in proposed district tax rates in some cases.

- Public comment: One member of the public, Matt Sanders, spoke during the Library District hearing in favor of libraries and criticized recent book-removal efforts in another jurisdiction. Sanders said library staff were “experts in childhood development and kids' literature” and urged the board to support libraries.

What the board voted on and next steps

- The board adopted the FY2026 Maricopa County budget and a five-year capital improvement plan as presented. They also approved filing the primary property tax-levy increase paperwork with the property tax oversight commission. The county manager and budget staff will administer the appropriations and any board-approved transfers from contingency during the fiscal year.

Ending note: Board members across the political spectrum described the budget as fiscally prudent while emphasizing public-safety goals. Chairman Galvin and several supervisors framed the pay and retention measures as essential to maintaining staffing levels and public-safety services going forward.