Mojave County’s interim budget, adopted at Monday’s Board of Oversight (BOS) meeting, does not address a deficit that officials predict could rise to $20 million 13 months from now. Nonetheless, the elephant in the room wasn’t necessarily ignored and will likely be addressed later this year rather than next year.
Mojave County Commissioner Sam Elters said final adoption of the spending plan, which currently maintains the main property tax rate at $1.747 per $100 of assessed value, is scheduled for July 17. The provisional budget did not include the planned consumption tax hike, but it was rejected. by at least two supervisors.
Avoiding a fiscal crisis next summer will require a combination of new revenue generation, spending cuts and other strategies that could revitalize the 2024-25 budget process.
“I was having a conversation with the chief financial officer this morning about exactly that,” Elters said on Tuesday. “We had a budget kickoff meeting in late January or early February, but we might try something earlier this year.”
Elters said the key to early budgeting is providing five months of the current fiscal year past Thanksgiving for projections for fiscal 2024-25. He also said mid-December would be the deadline for drafting a preliminary spending plan, as Christmas is near.
Pelters envisions progress on the legal services center construction project if the interim budget remains largely intact when it is finalized next month. Elters said the demolition of the old prison in downtown Kingman is complete, and the site just north of the Center for Law and Justice has been cleared and ready for a campaign to build a Judicial Service Center.
Elters said $10 million was budgeted to build the facility. He said costs are expected to increase, but the plan is to use funds from a $15 million emergency fund to cover the balance.
Elters said staff could seek BOS approval to put the building up for tender in this manner, with bids available in August or September, with construction expected to be completed by the end of the year. The new legal services center, which will house the offices of county attorneys, barristers, public defenders and support staff, could open in early 2025, he said.
