Cochise County Jail District adopts resolution to notify state to resume jail tax collection; resident urges broader outreach

The Cochise County Jail District Board of Directors on Tuesday adopted Resolution 25‑04 to levy the district’s excise tax and notify the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) to resume collection of the half‑percent jail district tax.

The vote followed public comment from Lisonbee Morris, who said receipts from several businesses in Douglas and Bisbee showed the extra half‑percent tax was still being charged after the board’s prior action to end collection. "The extra revenue that is being collected does not benefit the county or the state of Arizona. It is kept by the businesses," Morris said, and asked the county to communicate the timing of the tax termination and reinstatement on the county website and local media.

County staff responded that the board previously passed a resolution ending the tax effective July 31, 2025, and that ADOR confirmed receipt of that resolution and updated its tax‑rate tables on ADOR’s website and in its newsletter to businesses. "ADOR confirmed receipt and also put out on their website tax changes," county staff said, adding the county issued a press release when it was notified some businesses continued collecting the tax.

Staff explained that ADOR handles TPT collection and notification and that ADOR typically notifies point‑of‑sale software vendors, allowing 90 days for updates and a trigger date to go live. Staff noted that, per the resolution discussion, ADOR must be notified if the board wants the state to begin collection again, and that staffing and technical timelines mean collection would resume on July 1 as indicated in staff remarks.

Board members discussed options to increase public awareness, including posting on the county website, social media and asking local media to report the change. The Chair also explained that tax remittances are processed through ADOR and then distributed to the county for accounting.

The board voted to adopt Resolution 25‑04; the clerk announced the motion carried. (Transcript vote notation for this item reads as “3 3 0”; the transcript’s numeric tally notation appears inconsistent and the record on the audio/log is limited to the clerk’s "Motion carries" announcement.)

The resolution also notes that funds already collected remain in the jail district revenue fund and are designated in the resolution for financing and construction of the new jail project.

The board’s action directs county staff to notify ADOR and continue public outreach to inform businesses and residents of the tax-status timeline.