Maricopa County chair cites tax cut, public-safety funding plans and new pet-support nonprofit

Thomas Galvin, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, said at the Greater Phoenix Chamber's 2025 State of the County address that the county has "cut the overall tax rate, and we increased investment in public safety." He said the county is continuing to prioritize "long term capital investments, including parks, elections, and transportation that improve the quality of life for residents."

Galvin said the county is "removing outdated requirements in order to meet the demands of the housing market." He also warned that "the existing public safety tax expires next year, and the renewal of the existing tax will fund correctional health services, criminal justice data systems, and diversion program through the county's adult and juvenile probation departments." Galvin did not specify dollar amounts, the renewal process or a vote timeline during his remarks.

Galvin announced a planned nonprofit, Friends of Animal Control, saying, "The Friends group will save taxpayer money by raising funds to support pets and the people who serve our pets. Community veterinary care, spaying and neutering, shelter improvements, all these efforts will make a real difference in the lives of both our 2 legged and 4 legged residents." He did not provide a launch date, governance structure or budget for the group during the address.

The address covered several county priorities in a short presentation: tax policy, public-safety funding, housing regulation changes, capital projects and a new animal-support nonprofit. The remarks summarized actions the county says it has taken and priorities it plans to pursue; no formal votes or ordinance adoptions were recorded in the address itself. The county did not provide specific figures, timelines or formal resolutions during the remarks, so those details remain not specified.

Looking ahead, the most immediate item Galvin raised is the public-safety tax renewal, which he said expires next year; details on how and when the county will pursue renewal were not given in the address. He also said the county will move forward with a nonprofit to support animal-control needs, but provided no implementation timeline or funding breakdown.