Public services in Maricopa County will cost less in 2015
Jun 26, 2014, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — Public services provided by Maricopa County will cost taxpayers less in the fiscal year of 2015.
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved a $2.21 billion budget for next year. The board’s chairman, Denny Barney, said that the 2015 budget is down $8.6 million from the 2014 budget.
Barney said the board took a new approach to adopting next year’s budget and they went to the leaders of every department in the county with the idea.
“Let’s start from zero and let’s work from the bottom up to determine what financial resources you need to do your job effectively,” Barney said.
That approach is called a “Zero-base budget” and Barney said it will save Maricopa County taxpayers dollars.
“We don’t have an endless supply of money, this is the taxpayer’s dollars they’ve given them to us to manage and deliver certain services,” he said.
According to Barney, more than 51 percent of next year’s budget is for the county’s criminal justice system and public safety costs.
The new fiscal year begins on July 1.
