Maricopa County residents have been warned that they are likely going to see a tax increase when the Board of Supervisors vote on final approval of the FY 2026 budget during a public hearing on Monday, June 23rd.
The Board does not control property values. However, as property values increase, the tax levy for existing property owners will also increase. The Board could prevent the increase by reducing the rate enough to offset the property value increase, but has given no indication it is interested in doing so. As a result, some property owners may be subject to a tax increase due to positive property value market adjustments in a growing economy.
One expert on taxation told the Arizona Daily Independent that “people can always request further decreases in the rate, but it seems that it is not out of line. The county is generally responsible for only about 13% of the tax bill. Cities, school districts, voter-approved bond issues, and taxing districts are the major contributors to the tax bill.”
For example, the last (2024) bill for the Villa Maria District in NE Phoenix was as follows.
| Maricopa County BOS | 13.02% |
| Elected School Boards | 43.51% |
| District Voters | 28.35% |
| City Councils | 12.11% |
| Special District Boards | 3.01% |
The Board, which also governs the Flood Control, Library, and Stadium districts, adopted a tentative budget on May 19th of $3.955 billion.
Before the final budget vote, the public will have the opportunity to comment on the FY 2026 budget which lowers the overall tax rate.
The “Truth in Taxation” hearing is required by law and provides Maricopa County taxpayers the opportunity to voice their opinion about the following proposed levies:
- Primary property tax increase of $12,233,134 or 1.81%, which would raise primary property taxes on a $100,000 home from $113.85 to $115.91.
- No secondary property tax increase for Flood Control District or Library District.
All interested citizens are invited to attend the public hearing on the tax increase that is scheduled to be held June 23, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at the Board of Supervisors’ Conference Room, 301 W. Jefferson, 10th Floor, Phoenix, Arizona 85003. This notice will be published in the Arizona Business Gazette on June 5th and June 12th.
In accordance with State statute, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will meet at a future date to vote on the final tax levy proposal. That meeting will be held on August 18, 2025.