Pima County Approves Employee Pay Increases, Downtown Investment and $1 Million for Food and Health Assistance

PIMA COUNTY, Arizona (Oct. 16, 2026) — Pima County supervisors approved a spending package Oct. 13 that directs additional year-end funds toward employee compensation, public safety, downtown improvements and assistance for residents facing the loss of food and health care benefits.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4–1 to approve County Administrator Jan Lesher’s recommendations, with an amendment allocating $1 million to the Health Department. The funding comes from additional fiscal year 2025–26 fund balance.

According to Tucson Daily Brief’s coverage of the meeting, the employee compensation measures include $4.62 million over two years to bring the minimum annual pay for the county’s five lowest pay grades to at least $45,000. The changes take effect Jan. 1, 2027, and exclude intermittent employees.

The package also includes $1.35 million for a two-year recruitment and retention incentive pilot. Another $2.7 million would increase evening and overnight shift differentials to $1.05 per hour and raise on-call pay to $2.10 per hour.

The compensation changes leave a larger challenge unresolved: pay compression, which occurs when differences in compensation narrow between employees with varying levels of experience or responsibility. County staff said addressing compression throughout the pay structure could cost approximately $20 million and would need consideration in the fiscal year 2027–28 budget.

Downtown Parking and Business Support

The approved spending includes $500,000 for the Downtown Tucson Partnership and approximately $677,000 over two years to make three county parking garages available to the public on nights and weekends for $5 parking.

Those allocations support the county’s See YOU Downtown initiative, which focuses on improving public spaces, supporting small businesses and making downtown easier and more affordable to visit.

The broader One Pima Safety Initiative also includes $1 million for the Silverlake-Mission Reinvestment Zone.

Additional funding will support expanded court operations associated with six new Superior Court judges.

Food Access and Health Care Assistance

An amendment offered by Board Chair Jennifer Allen directs $1 million to the Health Department in place of another round of Short-Term Crisis and Emergency Resources grants.

The department will return to the board with a plan addressing food access, assistance navigating changes in eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Affordable Care Act coverage, and health services for residents who become uninsured.

Supervisor Matt Heinz advocated for a larger allocation, citing growing pressure on food banks and residents losing nutritional assistance. The board ultimately approved the $1 million amendment on a 4–1 vote.

Supervisor Andrés Cano suggested the county’s grant contingency fund could provide another potential source of assistance.

Chamber Funding Increase Rejected

Supervisors rejected a proposal by Supervisor Steve Christy to increase allocations to regional chambers of commerce from $25,000 to $100,000 each. The existing allocations were funded through proceeds from the Project Blue land sale.

Christy pointed to a separate $250,000 allocation to the Hispanic Chamber. Allen said that funding serves a specific purpose: a countywide small-business grant program supporting beautification and safety improvements.

Lesher said the additional chamber funding would likely require approximately $500,000 from general fund contingency. Christy’s proposal failed 1–4. A substitute proposal directing most of the additional money toward small-business grants also failed, 2–3.

Data Center Concerns Continue

Residents again raised concerns about Project Gravel, a proposed data center near Sahuarita. Seven of the 10 speakers during the public comment period opposed the project, according to the Tucson Daily Brief.

Speakers questioned potential groundwater consumption, electricity demand, noise and effects on nearby homes. The Rev. Randy Mayer of Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Sahuarita described the proposal as eight buildings totaling approximately 1.6 million square feet on 160 acres and called for an independent investigation.

The county’s 120-day moratorium on new data centers, approved Sept. 22, does not cover projects that had already submitted site permits. KJZZ previously reported that Project Gravel falls outside that pause.

Budget Pressures Remain

Despite the additional funds available this year, county staff cautioned that preliminary projections show a roughly $33 million budget gap for the next fiscal year. Staff emphasized that the figure is an early estimate, noting that the comparable projection at the same point last year was nearly $50 million.

The board also advanced three county administrator finalists, approved a three-year fundraising agreement with United Way of Tucson & Southern Arizona for preschool scholarships, and adopted a resolution requiring municipal governing bodies to approve proposed county bond projects within their boundaries before those projects appear on the ballot.

Source: Tucson Daily Brief’s Oct. 13 Board of Supervisors meeting report.