¶ In Cochise County, The Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Had A $755,000 Decrease And Heading Into 2024, Infrastructure And Maintenance Projects Totaling $170,000 Went Unfunded, While Recent Election-Related Lawsuits Racked Up $175,000 In Costs For The County.
¶ Cochise County’s Shrinking Population Caused A Reduction In Its 2023 Budget By $755,000.
Due To A Drop In Population And A State Regulation, Cochise County Had A Budget Drop Of $755,000. “For the kickoff of budget season, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors was given the bad news — the county is losing $755,000 due to the drop in population from the 2020 Census report. [...] The expenditure limit is based on an old state regulation set in 1980, according to the Arizona Auditor General. ‘The Constitution required the Economic Estimates Commission to establish for each county a base limit from actual expenditures of local revenues of fiscal year 1980. Each year, the Commission calculates the constitutional expenditure limitation for all counties in accordance with A.R.S. §41-563 by adjusting their base limits for any voter-approved permanent base adjustments, changes in population, and inflation since the base year.’” [Herald Review Media, 4/22/22]
¶ As Of April 2023, Unbudgeted Election Lawsuits Had Recently Cost The County Almost $175,000.
While Most County Departments May Be Under Budget, The Elections Department Will Be Over Budget “Due To Unbudgeted Payouts From The Lawsuits Filed Against The Board Of Supervisors And The County Recorder — Which Has Cost The Taxpayers Almost $175,000.” “Juan Frisby, county budget manager, gave a brief presentation on the expected increase in costs the county will experience in part from inflation and rising costs to do business. He noted most of the county departments have kept costs down and may end up being under budget at the end of the year. However, the Elections Department will be over budget for the current fiscal year due to unbudgeted payouts from the lawsuits filed against the Board of Supervisors and the county recorder — which has cost the taxpayers almost $175,000 — and the jail district special election.” [Herald Review Media, 4/14/23]
¶ In June 2023, Cochise County Supervisors Approved The Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, Which Failed To Fund Requested Infrastructure And Maintenance Projects Totalling At Least $170,000.
In A May 2023 Working Session, Budget Requests Were Submitted To The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors For $20,000 In “Mower Deck Replacement” Costs And $150,000 To “Remodel Terminal Building CC Airport.”
In June 2023, The Cochise County Tentative FY23/24 Budget Did Not Include Funding Requests For A Mower Deck Or Airport Terminal Building Remodeling.
In June 2023, The Cochise County Supervisors Approved The Budget At The Same Exact Level As In The Tentative Budget, With No Changes Discussed. “The Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted to approve the tentative county budget of $277,936,938, which is an increase of 11.2% over last year’s budget.” [AZPM, 6/14/23]
- The FY2024 Tentative Budget’s Total Was Also $277,936,938:
- The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors Unanimously Voted To Adopt The Tentative Budget At $277,936,938, With No Discussion Of Changing Line Item Allocations. “Adopt the Tentative County Budget for fiscal year 2023-2024 in the amount of $277,936,938 (this amount is composed of $105,461,808 in General Fund and $172,475,130 in Special Revenue funds) and approve the Funding Requests as set forth in the attached exhibit. [...] Chairman Judd called for the vote and it was approved 3-0.” [Cochise County, 06/13/23]
¶ Two Recently Subpoenaed Cochise County Supervisors, Peggy Judd And Tom Crosby, Cost Cochise County “Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars In Legal Fees And Settlements” With At Least $300,000 On One Case — $170,000 For Fees In A Toxic Work Environment Case And $130,000 Paid By The County’s Insurance.
Decisions Made By Two Recently Subpoenaed Cochise County Supervisors Has Cost The County “Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars In Legal Fees And Settlements.” “Peggy Judd and Tom Crosby, the two Republican supervisors in Cochise county who led these efforts, were recently subpoenaed as part of an investigation by the state’s attorney general. The Republican-led county on the US-Mexico border has had to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees and settlements for the lawsuits it faced in the wake of Crosby and Judd’s decisions. They have lost in court multiple times in their quest to prevent machine counting – part of an ongoing rightwing effort to switch to hand counts – and stall election results.” [The Guardian, 11/25/23]
- One Lawsuit, To Settle “A Toxic Work Environment Caused By The Two Supervisors” Caused The County’s Insurance To Pay $130,000 While Other Legal Fees Have Totalled “Nearly $170,000.” “To settle a lawsuit from the former director Lisa Marra, who left because of a toxic work environment caused by the two supervisors, the county’s insurance paid out $130,000. Other legal fees, primarily in the form of paying the costs of the other side’s attorneys in losses, have totaled nearly $170,000.” [The Guardian, 11/25/23]
¶ David Stevens Worked With the Cochise County Board of Supervisors To Support A Push For A Hand-Count Of Election Results And Develop Ballot Paper With Fraud Countermeasures.
On October 11, 2022, David Stevens Presented To The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors A Method By Which A Hand-Count Vote Could Take Place. [Cochise County, accessed 8/24/23]
On October 24, 2022, Before The 2022 General Election, David Stevens Supported An Order For A Hand Count Of All Ballots Cast In The 2022 General Election By The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors.[Cochise County, accessed 8/23/23]
On October 25, 2022, Before The 2022 General Election, The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors Approved $1 Million From The Arizona Department Of Administration To Be Used To Develop Ballot Paper With Ballot Fraud Countermeasures, Which Was Requested By Stevens. [Cochise County, accessed 8/23/23]
¶ Cochise County Paid $10,000 To The Valley Law Group For Their Legal Representation Against the Arizona Alliance Of Retired Americans
On November 2, 2022, The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors Approved Of Obtaining Outside Legal Representation For A Lawsuit From The Arizona Alliance Of Retired Americans & Stephani Stephenson Where They And Stevens Were Named As Defendants. [Cochise County, accessed 8/24/23]
On November 15, 2022, The Cochise County Board Of Supervisors Approved A $10,000 Payment To The Valley Law Group To Pay For Their And David Stevens’ Legal Representation Against The Arizona Alliance Of Retired Americans.
