Maricopa County voters appear to have extended a 0.2% sales tax that funds the county's jails, juvenile detention, correctional health care and probation, according to unofficial results from the Nov. 3 election.
Proposition 413 renews the levy for 20 years, KJZZ reported. AZ Free News reported that about 64% of voters backed the renewal, with roughly 61% turnout and upward of 1.5 million ballots. The county elections department notes that the results become official only after the canvass, and that the official canvass files will be posted once they are finalized and approved.
What the tax pays for
Collected since 1998 under the name Jail Facilities Excise Tax, the levy was scheduled to run out in March 2027, AZ Free News reported. Voters last approved it in 2002, according to the outlet. Proceeds go to jail facilities, staffing and operations, including correctional health care, along with adult and juvenile probation.
KJZZ described the jail system it supports as among the largest in the nation.
The measure reached the ballot after a recommendation from the Public Safety Funding Committee, which the Board of Supervisors set up to review how the tax money is used.
AZ Free News reported that the committee looked at the county's adult and juvenile detention facilities, its jail master plan and its financing needs for the next two decades, holding 13 public meetings and two online outreach sessions before recommending in December 2024 that county leaders pursue legislation to put a replacement tax before voters.
