The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has been facing numerous controversies, including deaths at the jail, sexual assault allegations within the department, and the political maneuverings of Sheriff Chris Nanos. As a result, it is anticipated that the department will exceed its budget by nearly $5 million this year.
According to a county memo dated January 15th, the sheriff’s department is projected to exceed its budget by $2.7 million, primarily due to expenses related to jail operations. County administrator Jan Lesher also anticipates that the department will spend an additional $2 million beyond its allocated budget for the remainder of the fiscal year.
The sheriff’s department has been allocated a budget of over $170 million for this fiscal year. In a significant move, the board approved a budget increase of $11 million for the department last summer, bringing the total budget up from $154 million.
Ellen Moulton, the outgoing director of the county finance department, revealed to Arizona Luminaria that due to the sheriff’s department consistently exceeding its budget in previous years, the county is considering boosting its baseline budget. Over the next few weeks, before the board of supervisors meeting on February 18th, the sheriff’s department, along with other county departments, will present supplementary budget requests to the board. It is important to note that Moulton will be retiring soon.
According to Moulton, this marks the first occasion where the requests will be directed to the board, rather than the county administrators as in previous years. Moulton explained, “The board has requested the supplemental budgets to enhance transparency, facilitate public input, and foster detailed discussions regarding the budgets.”
The county usually approves its budgets in June.
The budget increase and spending by the sheriff’s department were not addressed by the county’s finance department, despite follow-up inquiries.
According to Lesher, the sheriff’s department lacks any motivation to adhere to its budget if it can overspend and still receive the necessary funds. This is why the county is aiming to make budgetary adjustments for the department in the upcoming fiscal year.
Supervisor Steve Christy from District 4 expressed his concerns about the sheriff’s department, stating, “I have concerns, yes, it seems to be the same thread every year.”
According to him, the department’s budgetary concerns are twofold. Firstly, there is the challenge of maintaining adequate staffing levels, leading to increased overtime costs. Secondly, there are inflationary factors contributing to the department exceeding its budget.
Christy questioned whether the budgeting process should have considered the inflationary concerns.
The recent memo states that despite the slowdown of inflation, the costs for food, fuel, and utilities have not fully stabilized.
According to the county’s financial forecast, the county’s expenditure increased by $6.3 million compared to the previous year, reaching a total of $613.5 million. Correspondingly, the general fund’s revenues, which include local taxes, state revenue, and federal revenue, also saw an increase of approximately $6 million.
Arizona Luminaria reached out to the sheriff’s department to gather more information about its projected budget. However, unfortunately, they did not receive a response.
In a memo from the county in 2023, similar concerns regarding excessive spending were raised. Specifically, the sheriff’s department had exceeded its budget by approximately $3 million for the Fiscal Year 2022/2023.
In both fiscal years, the sheriff’s department exceeded its budget, with officials citing inflation as one of the contributing factors.