🔥 Inside Tucson's Budget Crisis: How Republican Tax Cuts Are Decimating Local Services
As city faces $40 million revenue shortfall, vital community programs face elimination while police and fire receive increases. Sharon McDonough Makes History as Tucson's First Woman Fire Chief.
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
🏙️ The Tucson City Council had a big meeting where they made important decisions about money, housing, and helping people with drug problems. 💰 The city has less money because of tax cuts that help rich people but hurt regular families. 💸 Some community programs that help kids and poor people might be closed. 🏠 The Council also approved new houses to be built even though neighbors worried about flooding. 🌧️ They want to use money from a big drug company lawsuit to help people addicted to dangerous drugs. 💊 A woman named Sharon became the first-ever female Fire Chief in Tucson's history. 🚒 The city also counted all its trees for the first time - there are 78,000 trees that help keep the city cool in hot weather! 🌳🔥
🗝️ Takeaways
🚨 Tucson faces a severe budget crisis with $40+ million revenue loss directly attributed to Arizona's flat tax, forcing cuts to community programs while police and fire budgets receive increases
🏘️ Council unanimously approved the controversial La Mariposa development despite resident concerns about flooding and competing scientific analyses about environmental impact
💊 Council directed the Regional Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee to reprioritize funds toward establishing a sobering center for immediate crisis response
👩🚒 Sharon McDonough became the first woman Fire Chief in Tucson's history, unanimously confirmed by the Council
🌳 First comprehensive tree inventory revealed 78,000 city-managed trees worth $134 million, providing foundation for climate resilience efforts
🏛️ Council Member Richard Fimbres retired after 14 years representing Ward 5, with the process approved to select a replacement by May 6th
Behind Closed Doors: How Tucson's Elite Make Decisions That Impact Our Most Vulnerable Communities
A grassroots perspective from Three Sonorans on the decisions shaping our community's future
The Tucson City Council chambers might seem far removed from the daily struggles of working-class Tucsonans. But make no mistake: what happens in those chambers on Tuesday nights directly shapes who can afford to live in our city, whether our unhoused neighbors receive compassion or criminalization, and how our collective resources are distributed.
On April 22, 2025, as community members waited hours to have their three-minute voices heard, the Council made decisions that will reverberate through our neighborhoods for decades to come. Through the bureaucratic language and procedural formalities, a story unfolded of who truly has power in our desert city – and who doesn't.
The Faces of Power: Who Speaks and Who Listens
In the theater of local government, understanding the players reveals the true power dynamics at work:
The Elected Officials:
Mayor Regina Romero guided the meeting with a progressive bent, showing particular concern for climate action and the opioid crisis. Her frustration was palpable when speaking about state tax policies that have gutted city revenues: "I cannot stress enough how much damage the Doug Ducey flat tax is doing to our budget... We have lost more than $40 million because of the flat tax."
Vice Mayor Lane Santa Cruz (Ward 1) consistently championed equity in housing and development, pushing back against minimum compliance approaches. When discussing housing code amendments, she voiced clear dissatisfaction: "I definitely would not support option A at all because that's the bare minimum. It would only bring around 154 new units."
Paul Cunningham (Ward 2) positioned himself as a pragmatic dealmaker, particularly on the controversial La Mariposa development. Despite previous promises to oppose the project, he ultimately made the motion for approval, justifying his reversal by saying: "When I consider all this stuff... and the fact that we're conveying a bunch of stuff to Pima County flood control, which gives us way more opportunities for flood mitigation, it's really hard to say no."
Kevin Dahl (Ward 3) centered his considerations on environmental protection, particularly the Conservation Land System and habitat protection.
Nikki Lee (Ward 4) approached issues with technical precision, which is especially evident in her detailed questions about hydrology models and flooding risks.
Karin Uhlich (Ward 6) consistently raised questions about affordable housing and equitable development.
Richard Fimbres (Ward 5) was absent but announced his retirement after 14 years of service. In his farewell message, read by Council Member Dahl, he noted, "Though I tried diligently to finish my term, my health had other plans."
The Bureaucratic Power Center:
City Manager Tim Thomure wielded enormous influence as the $2.4 billion budget presenter. His proposed cuts revealed priorities: community programs like PEEPS early education would be eliminated, while police and fire departments received new funding.
Anna Rosenberry (CFO) laid out the city's harsh financial realities, including the devastating impact of state tax changes.
Chiefs and Department Heads appeared throughout the meeting, each defending their programs and priorities in the face of funding constraints.
It's striking how the people who will be most affected by these decisions – unhoused individuals battling addiction, working families priced out of neighborhoods, children losing educational opportunities – were conspicuously absent from the formal presentations. Their stories were relegated to the three-minute public comment period, if they managed to navigate the bureaucratic maze to secure a speaking slot at all.
Budget Bloodbath: How Republican Tax Cuts for the Wealthy Are Devastating Local Services
The most consequential discussion centered on the proposed $2.4 billion budget ($750-800 million in the general fund), revealing state-level policy decisions' cascading impact on local communities.
Trickle-Down Devastation: The Ducey Tax Cut Legacy
Mayor Romero didn't mince words about the source of Tucson's financial crisis: "We have lost more than $40 million because of the flat tax. And the flat tax is a flat tax on income tax that really favors corporations and the wealthy in Arizona."
The numbers tell the story:
State-shared income tax revenue will plummet to $108.9 million in FY26
This represents a $7.6 million drop from FY25 and a staggering $35 million less than FY24 levels
Sales tax revenues are also declining, creating a perfect storm of revenue loss
CFO Rosenberry explained that the state's flat tax impact has been worse than initially projected:
"At the time that they were proposing it... We thought we would max out at a loss of about 17 million dollars a year. As we have seen it come to pass, the loss is actually twice what was projected."
This is the Republican playbook in action: slash taxes for corporations and the wealthy, watch revenue dry up, then force cities to cut essential services – creating a manufactured crisis that fuels claims that "government doesn't work." But the government doesn't work because they've deliberately broken it.
Who Pays the Price? Children, Workers, and Vulnerable Communities
When resources are squeezed, the most vulnerable are first to lose support. The City Manager's proposed cuts included:
Elimination of the PEEPS early education program
Cuts to community home repair programs (CHIRPA) that help low-income homeowners
Elimination of the Ready-Set-Rec program that brings recreation services to neighborhoods
Reduction in arts funding
A "hiring frost" that leaves critical positions unfilled
Council Member Dahl noted his concern about the elimination of PEEPS: "PEEPS, I really like PEEPS. And the actual impact will be on working families, low-income working families who have found a place to do the generational jump, a place where mom can still work, dad can still work, there's flexibility, and there's incredible learning going on at that young age."
Meanwhile, the budget included $16.3 million for employee raises, with substantial increases for police and fire personnel. This isn't to say that public employees don't deserve fair compensation – they absolutely do – but the prioritization speaks volumes about who gets protected in times of scarcity.
Notice how programs serving working-class neighborhoods and children are on the chopping block, while funding for policing and administrative functions remains relatively protected. This is systemic inequity in practice – death by a thousand bureaucratic cuts.
The Housing Crisis: Development for Whom?
Tucson's housing crisis was a thread throughout multiple agenda items, from contentious rezoning requests to discussions about impact fees and middle housing code amendments.
La Mariposa: A Case Study in Development Politics
The most heated debate centered on the Casita Village at La Mariposa, a luxury development proposing 162 casita units on 19.79 acres near Houghton Road. Despite fierce community opposition centered on flooding concerns, the Council unanimously approved the rezoning.
Local resident Jane Rojas made an impassioned plea: "We elected you, Mayor and Council, to protect us, the public, from the current and future probable risks and danger... The primary purpose and duty of the City of Tucson is to keep residents safe and protected from harm. Please do your job and say no to the rezoning."
The meeting featured competing scientific analyses:
Dr. Brian Wallin, a hydrologist hired by neighborhood residents, warned that the development could increase flooding in surrounding areas and questioned the outdated hydrological data being used: "I'm looking at this situation here and I'm seeing a 2025 flow-2D model with a 1986 engine, and I'm like, that's not going to take me very far."
Bill Carroll, the developer's hydrologist, insisted all requirements had been met and that "there are no additional properties that were not in the floodplain that are now in the floodplain."
The approval process reveals how development works in practice: residents raise legitimate concerns backed by expert analysis, developers counter with their own experts, and ultimately, economic interests prevail. The unanimous approval suggests that despite their progressive rhetoric, the current Council consistently sides with development interests when push comes to shove.
Middle Housing: An Opportunity for Affordability or More of the Same?
The Council also discussed implementing HB 2721, which requires cities to allow "middle housing" – duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and townhouses – within one mile of downtown and on 20% of larger developments.
The Drachman Institute's presentation revealed multiple barriers to middle housing:
Economic hurdles: "The scale of the project makes it very difficult to get a return on investment for any development of one, two, three, or four housing units."
Regulatory barriers: Projects with three or more units are classified as "commercial developments," triggering stricter requirements
Financing challenges: "Banks want a track record for this. And so, small-time developers and single-family folks who wish to do a development on their property would find it very difficult."
The irony here is painful. We desperately need more affordable housing options, but our regulatory system is designed to make building smaller-scale, neighborhood-friendly housing nearly impossible. Meanwhile, luxury developments with deep pockets navigate the bureaucratic maze with relative ease.
Impact Fees: The Building Industry Flexes Its Muscle
A public hearing on proposed impact fee increases revealed the building industry's significant influence. The proposal would increase residential impact fees by approximately 40% ($2,700 per home) to fund infrastructure necessitated by new development.
Brendan Lyons of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association argued passionately against the increases: "For every $1,000 added to the cost of a new home, 444 Tucson families are priced out. That means this proposal alone could lock out more than 1,200 families."
Ben Bueller Garcia of the Arizona Multi-Housing Association added: "You can't make housing more affordable by making building housing more expensive."
Notice the sleight of hand here: developers argue that fees make housing unaffordable while simultaneously building luxury products that working-class Tucsonans can't possibly afford. They conveniently ignore that, without impact fees, existing residents subsidize the infrastructure needed for new development. It's privatized profits and socialized costs.
The Opioid Crisis: Fighting Over Scraps While People Die
Perhaps nothing better illustrates the tragic inadequacy of our social safety net than the discussion on the fentanyl/opioid crisis. As overdose deaths rise, officials seem reduced to squabbling over how to allocate settlement funds that are woefully insufficient for the scale of human suffering.
Settlement Funds: A Drop in the Bucket
Dr. Teresa Cullen from the Pima County Health Department presented recommendations from the Regional Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee (ROSAC) to allocate $8 million from a settlement that will ultimately total around $80-85 million over 18 years.
The proposed allocations included:
Youth prevention ($1.5 million)
Peer navigation support ($1.5 million)
Transitional wraparound services ($1.25 million)
Law enforcement co-responder programs ($1.25 million)
Mobile MAT services ($300,000)
Innovative approaches ($1.2 million)
Sobering center planning ($500,000)
Mayor Romero and Council Member Cunningham strongly advocated for more immediate funding for a sobering center. At this facility, people could receive medical supervision during withdrawal and connections to longer-term services.
Mayor Romero articulated the urgent need: "What does it mean that we do and what can be done immediately to be able to provide a service to those unhoused individuals that have substance misuse disorders and sometimes even serious mental illnesses attached as well."
The council ultimately voted to ask ROSAC to reconsider its recommendations to prioritize a sobering center.
The entire discussion reveals the tragic inadequacy of our response to a crisis claiming thousands of lives. We're fighting over scraps while pharmaceutical companies that profited from addiction face minimal consequences. Meanwhile, we continue to pour resources into policing and incarceration rather than prevention and treatment.
Personal Stories Amid the Statistics
Lee Hopkins from Community Safety, Health and Wellness brought a personal perspective to the clinical discussion: "I have three brothers impacted by addiction and recovery... My eldest brother passed away in 2021 after a life of addiction to crack cocaine, many, many years in and out of jail and prison, and in his final years, after a surgery, became addicted to OxyContin and then heroin."
She emphasized that recovery "is not simple. It is cyclical, and it is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes that internal motivation, and it takes many, many attempts."
Chief Kasmar provided a law enforcement perspective, noting that 75% of unsheltered individuals contacted by police struggle with substance use disorders, and identifying bottlenecks in the system: "Most of the rejections [at the jail] are for blood pressure, followed by fentanyl use or drug use within the last two hours."
The opioid crisis exists at the intersection of our failed housing policy, inadequate healthcare system, and punitive criminal justice approach. We've criminalized addiction while failing to provide accessible treatment pathways. The result is a revolving door between streets, emergency rooms, and jails – an inhumane and costly system that fails everyone involved.
Climate Action: Progress Amid Political Headwinds
A bright spot in the meeting came with presentations on the city's climate initiatives, highlighting tangible progress despite regional and national political resistance.
Tree Inventory Reveals Urban Forest Value
Urban Forestry Program Manager Nicole Gillett presented findings from the city's first comprehensive inventory of city-managed trees:
78,000 trees under city management
$134 million in total replacement value
Native velvet mesquite is the most common species
Overall healthy condition with opportunities for strategic expansion
Gillett's enthusiasm was evident: "I spent this morning already out planting trees with a group of volunteers, and I hope you all get a chance to at least step outside at some point today and take a deep breath and say thank you to our planet Earth."
Building Resilience in a Heating World
Chief Resilience Officer Fatima Luna detailed heat preparedness efforts, including:
Analysis to identify optimal cooling center locations based on vulnerability data
Plans for resilience hubs with backup power and water during climate emergencies
The Dona Liggins Center as the first microgrid project site
The presentations highlighted TEP's ongoing collaboration on the Battery Energy Storage System pilot project and the green tariff program.
Tucson's climate work stands as a model of local action in the face of climate denialism at the state and federal levels. The emphasis on vulnerability mapping shows a commitment to centering the communities most affected by climate impacts. Still, the scale of investment remains inadequate to the existential threat we face.
Historic Leadership Transitions
Amid the policy debates, the meeting marked significant leadership changes reflecting broader representation and governance shifts.
Sharon McDonough Makes History as Fire Chief
The Council unanimously confirmed Sharon McDonough as Tucson's first woman Fire Chief. Upon her appointment, McDonough stated: "TFD is the standing army that takes good care of our community every day. We lead with integrity, courage, compassion, and excellence... when we take good care of our people, they take good care of our community and our business."
Richard Fimbres Retires After 14 Years
The Council also discussed the process to fill Council Member Richard Fimbres's seat following his retirement announcement after 14 years representing Ward 5. His farewell statement reflected on his service: "I would like to thank the residents, businesses, and neighborhood leaders of the city of Tucson for their continuous support, which allowed me to be their Ward 5 council member. It has been my profound honor to have served you."
Council Member Cunningham shared personal reflections on Fimbres' impact: "Richard is in the Tucson High School Hall of Fame and was a member of the 1973 State High School Football Team. He married Mary when he was about 20 years old. After finishing college, he went to the 40th Division, where he served alongside my dad, a tanker reserve unit here in Tucson, for many years."
These transitions represent both progress and continuity in Tucson leadership. McDonough's historic appointment breaks a gender barrier in a traditionally male-dominated field, while Fimbres' retirement marks the end of an era for South Tucson representation. The process to fill his seat will be critical for ensuring continued advocacy for historically underrepresented communities.
Votes and Outcomes
The unanimous votes across all items raise questions about the depth of deliberation. Proper democratic governance requires robust debate and occasional dissent, yet this Council appears to operate with unanimous consent even on controversial matters like La Mariposa. Is this consensus-building or groupthink?
The Struggle Continues: What You Can Do
Despite the challenges revealed in this meeting, the path toward a more just, sustainable Tucson continues. The decisions made by elected officials reflect the pressure applied by organized communities, and you can be part of that pressure.
Immediate Actions You Can Take:
Contact your Council member about the budget priorities. Do you support eliminating early education programs while maintaining other spending?
Attend the May 6th meeting to witness the selection of the new Ward 5 council member and speak during the call to the audience
Join upcoming town halls on the TEP franchise agreement to advocate for clean energy and affordability protections
Organize with your neighbors around development issues that affect your community
Monitor the implementation of middle housing code amendments and push for truly affordable options
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Join the Conversation
What decisions from this meeting most concern you? Do you see a pattern in how the Council approaches development versus community concerns? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
The struggle for justice is long, but with collective action and sustained pressure, another Tucson is possible.
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