Budget & Operational Plans
The Financial Services Division disseminates the Budget Development Schedule to all stakeholders in the budget process following direction from the Governing Board and Fire Chief regarding previously identified expectations and critical priorities. Budget submission deadlines are set and guidelines are provided for managers to use in the preparation of base and supplemental budget requests. Division and program managers develop their budgets at the line level with input from the James Vincent Group (JVG), a contracted financial consultancy, and from employees within their respective sections. Upon submission, the proposed line-item budgets are reviewed by the Fire Chief, the Assistant Chiefs, JVG, and the responsible employee(s). Necessary modifications are made, reviewed, and finalized in the line-item budgets before inclusion in the final document. Throughout this process, the Governing Boards are updated regularly on the budget’s progress and informed of any items that may have a a significant variance over the previous year’s budget. Additional direction is issued by the Governing Boards regarding these variances when necessary.
A tentative Annual Operational Budget is presented in detail by JVG to the Boards and the public during the public budget meeting. During this meeting, responsible division and program managers present their proposed line-item budgets. The board members and public attendees are encouraged to ask questions and discuss the tentative budget and its contribution to supporting the Member Districts and the Authority's service level goals. Upon completion of this thorough examination of the tentative budget, modifications are assimilated into the document for finalization.
Arizona Revised Statute, A.R.S. §48-805(A)2, requires that a public notice of the proposed tentative budget be posted in three public locations, and be placed on the Authority/District’s websites at least twenty days prior to the public hearing held at a meeting called by the Governing Board for adoption. The mandated 20-Day posting period begins on May 20, 2025 for the Buckeye Valley Fire District (BVFD) and May 28, 2025 for the Arizona Fire & Medical Authority (AFMA), the North County Fire & Medical District (NCFMD), & the South County Fire & Medical District (SCFMD), and ends on June 9, and June 17, 2025, respectively.
The Public Budget Hearing to adopt the final Fiscal Year 2025/26 Annual Budget for the Buckeye Valley Fire District will be held on Monday, June 23, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
The Public Budget Hearings to adopt the final Fiscal Year 2025/26 Annual Budget for the South County Fire & Medical District, the North County Fire & Medical District and the Arizona Fire & Medical Authority will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at 9:00 a.m.
The tentative budget adoption establishes the maximum appropriation for the next fiscal year. Upon final adoption, the budget is submitted to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Maricopa County Assessor in accordance with state law. The Board of Supervisors’ office works with the Assessor’s office to create the tax levy and generates the mileage rates to be used for each fiscal year.