Pima County Voters Narrowly Approve Prop 425, Raising County Spending Limit
Supervisor Rex Scott urges fiscal restraint as the Board of Supervisors begins work on next year’s budget.
TUCSON, Ariz. (Nov. 13, 2026) — Pima County voters narrowly approved Proposition 425, permanently raising the base used to calculate how much the county can spend each year under Arizona law. The county’s Nov. 10 unofficial tally showed 192,404 votes in favor and 187,213 against, a margin of 5,191 votes. About 50.7 percent of voters who weighed in supported the measure.
Supervisor Rex Scott welcomed the result Tuesday and said the close vote should inform how the county approaches its next budget.
“Although we have gratitude for the win, we should also show humility given the narrow margin of victory,” Scott said in a Nov. 10 statement. “Moving forward, it will be vital for us to be true to all that we said during the campaign.”
What Proposition 425 changes
Arizona voters established the spending limit in 1980. The state calculates Pima County’s limit each year by taking its fiscal 1979–80 expenditure base and adjusting it for population growth and inflation. The limit applies to much of the spending on core county services funded by property taxes, sales taxes and fees.
Proposition 425 adds $70 million to that historic base. Once the state applies the population and inflation adjustments, the change is projected to raise the county’s fiscal 2027–28 spending ceiling by about $610 million. The proposition itself leaves tax rates unchanged. The Board of Supervisors will decide how much to spend and how to fund county services through its annual budget process.
Pima County says it has operated at or near the limit for several years, relying on tools such as debt management and deductions allowed under state law to stay within it. County officials said the higher ceiling gives them more room to use revenue the county already collects as the cost of providing services rises. This was Pima County’s first request to raise the base since the state established the limit.
The next decisions come in the budget
The Board of Supervisors began discussing priorities for the next fiscal year at its Nov. 10 study session. Scott called for the county to deliver services efficiently and equitably and said supervisors should show residents how their spending and revenue decisions serve the public.
“We need to show the public that we are making those decisions with their interests in mind and with common sense,” Scott said.