Here’s what’s in Maricopa County’s proposed 2026 budget

PHOENIX — The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved its tentative budget for the 2026 fiscal year on Monday.

Supervisor Thomas Galvin, the board’s chairman, said the $3.9 billion 2026 Maricopa County budget plan covers various upgrades while also cutting the property tax rate for the fifth year in a row.

“We are planning to do some significant capital works projects over the next few years that are going to make lives better and quality of life better here in Maricopa County,” Galvin told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show on Tuesday. “A new West Valley animal shelter, a new county library up in Anthem, and we’re going to build new substations for our sheriff’s office, several of them.”

The tentative 2026 Maricopa County budget includes $3.9 billion in spending, up slightly from last year’s $3.87 billion. However, it trims the property tax rate by 0.37%.

“In fact, our tax levy is $269 million below what we constitutionally (could) assess on you. So, that means that we are levying taxes $270 million below the limit,” Galvin said.

2026 Maricopa County budget: What are the highlights?

He’s especially looking forward to seeing the completion of a new election center.

“We’re going to be building a state-of-the-art election center that’s going to open up in 2027, before the the 2028 presidential election, which is really important for me because election integrity is important,” Galvin said.

Some of the other priorities of next year’s budget are:

• Investments in capital and infrastructure.
• Improved compensation for detention officers and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
• Preparation for a potential economic downturn and unforeseen costs.
• Allocation of limited available funding to public safety, personnel retention and state-mandated payments.

“Substantially, we’re going to see an improved compensation plan for our sheriff’s department,” Galvin said. “Unfortunately, the sheriff’s office is under considerable federal oversight … I believe that our sheriff’s deputies, detention officers and dispatchers should have pay that reflects a the hard work that they do.”

How did Maricopa County develop its 2026 budget?

Galvin likened some of the board’s strategies to those of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“We’re doing what I’m calling a performance management system, and it doesn’t have a cool title like DOGE, but I think we’re being more DOGE than DOGE because we are working with our local county elected officials,” Galvin said.

That includes Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, Maricopa Count Sheriff Jerry Sheridan, Maricopa County Assessor Eddie Cook and Maricopa County Treasurer John Allen.

“As we’re able to trim the fat so to speak, that allows us to spend money in the ways that the voters and the constituents expect of us, which is where we’re able to put sheriff deputies on the street and prosecutors in the courtroom,” Galvin said. “We have actually cut the ratio of employees to residents. It’s the lowest amount in 15 years, and that is just a testament that we’re able to do more with less.”

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