MCAO FY27 BUDGET PRESENTATION.PPTX

Maricopa County — Special (2026-01-28)

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MCAO 
FY27 Budget Presentation
Wednesday, January 28, 2026

MCAO Leadership
County Attorney
Rachel Mitchell
Chief Deputy
Blaine Gadow
CFO/MCAO
Catherine 
Martin
2

FY 2026 RECAP
FY2026
Needs only, no wants

FY 2026 RECAP
•We limited our request to $1M over baseline. 
•Gratefully received authorization for 11 positions. 
✓Ten jobs are filled
✓One in final stages of hiring. 
•Jump start toward solving interior climate issues

PRIORITY
Quality of Life
Quality of life is measured 
in many ways
Inseparable from justice 
and public safety
It’s hard to perceive 
quality when you don’t 
feel safe in your own 
home.

Serious Needs in FY2027
NEEDS, not wants
No ‘wishes,’ no ‘sure would be nice’ requests
Get the job done without backlogs
All MCAO requests are mandated or based in 
law

Prosecution is Changing Fast

Explosion of digital evidence

Explosion of digital evidence
• Digital evidence must be reviewed
• Phones are small computers with vast 
capacity
• Phone data must be reviewed 
• Thousands of hours to retrieve, 
download, and analyze

Davis & Desharnais
Stephanie Davis
Thomas Desharnais

DAVIS & 
DESHARNAIS
ü1400+ photos
ü200 surveillance videos
ü400 cell phone records
ü500 page Medical 
Examiner report
Evidence

MCAO FY27-28 Request
Budget Request
$12,570,000

CIVIL DIVISION
• Valleywise expansion
• 250 behavioral health beds
• Mandate
• Three attorneys in FY27
Proposition 
409

CIVIL DIVISION
•Thousands of requests
•Requestors include 
victims, defense lawyers, 
media, and ‘Looky Lous’
•40% of these requests are 
large, take months to 
complete
•Cannot charge for digital 
records
Public Records

CRIMINAL
•Trial
•Special Prosecution 1
•Special Prosecution 2
•Prosecution Support
•Victim Services
•Juvenile and 
Misdemeanors
•Investigations
Seven Divisions

Attorneys are not interchangeable parts
•Advancement is different
•Each has different skills, interests, and 
experience
•8 years to train a new lawyer to the level of a 
Prosecutor IV
•We can only hire what is available. 
•Experienced attorneys are staying put.

Recruitment & Retention

CRIMINAL
•Up to 2 years to complete 
a cell phone extraction
•Case may be resolved 
before we have all the 
evidence. 
•Only two detectives. 
Investigations

CRIMINAL
Cellebrite 
Axon Justice 
Premier
Software:
Investigations &  
Case 
Management

CRIMINAL
Cellebrite
• Gold standard
• Streamlines data analysis
• AI component helps us 
identify connections within 
the data
 
Software:
Investigations &  
Case 
Management

CRIMINAL
Axon Justice Premier
• No more ‘free’ options
• Keeps evidence secure, 
organized, easy to access
• Transcribes, redacts, 
translates
 
Software:
Investigations &  
Case 
Management

FY27 MCAO Budget Request
$12,570,000

PRIORITY 1
$5,820,000
Grant and special revenue fund 
reductions = $2,620,000
IT software costs = $1,500,000
Vacancy savings 
adjustment = $1,700,000

PRIORITY 2
$6,750,000
Civil expansion = $1,125,000
Prosecution expansion = $2,430,000
Attorney support = $2,690,000

PRIORITY 2 
CONTINUED
$6,750,000
Healthcare services = $85,000
One-time supply and services = 
$420,000

LOOKING AHEAD
Space
Interior 
climate

Questions?
28