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Cochise County Jail District adopts $34.7 million final budget
Summary
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors, sitting as the Cochise County Jail District, adopted a $34,691,402 final budget July 7 after brief discussion about whether to use a $2.5 million PSPRS set‑aside for debt service or to add it to cash carryforward; no members of the public spoke.
The Cochise County Board of Supervisors, meeting as the Cochise County Jail District, adopted a $34,691,402 final budget at a July 7 meeting in the Supervisor's Hearing Room in Bisbee.
Supervisor Anthony moved to adopt the budget for fiscal year 2026–27, and Supervisor Gomez seconded the motion. The Chair opened a public hearing on the proposed budget and directed county staff to present.
County staff member Miss Finhaus told the board that the jail district expects roughly a half‑cent sales tax yield of “10,000 or 10,500,000 in a half cent sales tax for the jail district” and reported a cash carryforward balance of $15,253,290. Following that presentation, the board discussed whether to reallocate a $2,500,000 sum currently set aside in the general fund for the PSPRS (Public Safety Personnel Retirement System) unfunded liability into the jail district cash carryforward or to use it as part of debt service if the county bonds for projects.
Supervisor Anthony proposed using the $2,500,000 either to increase the cash carryforward or to apply it to bonding or PAYGo, saying moving the money could affect the county’s expenditure limit. County staff explained that an expenditure made from the general fund to PSPRS is not excluded from the expenditure limit, while debt‑service payments are excluded; staff recommended producing a table showing the tradeoffs between reducing the unfunded liability and increasing bonded debt.
The board agreed a work session would be useful to model the fiscal effects, including how using the $2,500,000 for debt service would add interest costs (the Chair referenced an example interest rate of about 4.5%). No members of the public offered comment during the hearing.
The board then voted to adopt the Cochise County Jail District final budget in the amount of $34,691,402; the Chair declared the budget passed. The Chair announced a forthcoming special board meeting to adopt the county’s final budget and adjourned the jail district session.
Reported figures and terms are taken from the meeting record; where transcript wording was unclear, the article preserves the phrasing used by speakers (for example, the staff presentation of the anticipated sales tax yield).
