Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Tucson council endorses staff plan to study and advance new revenue options to close FY26 gap
Summary
Council directed staff to advance a package of revenue measures — including an advertising privilege tax, higher pawnshop transaction fees, and a recommended public utility tax increase — while asking for further study and later public hearings on complex items like hotel/short‑term rental tax changes.
Tucson Mayor and Council on Aug. 6 directed city staff to pursue a slate of revenue measures intended to close a projected FY26 general fund gap. The manager’s presentation described a preliminary shortfall and options that combined to cover much of the projected funding need.
City Manager Tim Tamir and business services director Angel Ozomolam told the council that preliminary FY25 revenue estimates showed a $11 million shortfall and that FY26 would require roughly $16.6 million in additional revenues after earlier adjustments. Staff recommended several options to narrow that gap: imposing an advertising privilege tax currently in the city code but set at a 0% rate (estimated revenue about $470,000); increasing pawnshop transaction fees from $1 to $3 (estimated $400,000); raising the public utility tax (the largest-return option, estimated at $5.3…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
