Pima County voters have narrowly approved a $250 million bond measure for Pima Community College, clearing the way for new police headquarters, renovated academic buildings and expanded workforce training programs across the district. Unofficial county results show Proposition 430 passing with roughly 52% of the vote, according to school officials.
The county's unofficial tally recorded 196,240 votes in favor and 182,984 against, according to Pima County election results. KVOA reported that the bond measure passed with 52% of the vote. The approval authorizes Pima Community College to issue up to $250 million in general obligation bonds, money that will go toward purchasing land, buying or completing buildings, and acquiring equipment and facilities.
What the Bond Pays For
District officials say the investment will help modernize aging facilities, expand workforce training opportunities, and strengthen learning environments and services that support students. Planned projects include training spaces for first responders, a move of police headquarters and district-wide services to the Downtown Campus, and modernized student support services.
The college also plans to expand teacher education and Cyber/Information Technology programs, update arts programs, and modernize its science, technology, engineering and mathematics offerings. The college's voter pamphlet, reviewed by Hoodline, detailed a project list that included moving police headquarters and district-wide services downtown and modernizing student-support areas, per Pima Community College.
Some of those plans have been outlined in more specific terms elsewhere on the college's website. Pima intends to consolidate Cyber/IT programs at Desert Vista Campus, renovating roughly 14,500 square feet of existing space there for those programs, the college's academic spaces page notes. Separately, the college plans to renovate 18,000 square feet of West Campus Building L for its Center of Excellence in Arts.
Chancellor Pledges Accountability
Pima Community College Chancellor Jeffrey Nasse said he and the college were honored and humbled by voters' confidence and recognized the responsibility that comes with it. Nasse said the investment aligns with the college's strategic plan, which includes a roadmap for resilience, and he said every investment should serve students and the broader community.
Nasse pledged that the college will remain transparent and accountable in its stewardship of public resources as the bond-funded projects move forward.
Cost to Taxpayers and Borrowing Terms
Under the terms described in the college's voter pamphlet, the approved bonds will bear interest not exceeding 10% per year and will mature between one and 20 years from issuance. The pamphlet estimated the measure would cost about $31 per year for a property with an assessed value of $250,000, assuming each bond issue is paid over 20 years, according to Pima Community College.
Reporting ahead of the election tied the bond push to a broader funding squeeze at the college. AZ Luminaria reported that Pima's annual state funding for operations, maintenance and capital had fallen from about $23 million a year to $1.5 million for STEM and workforce programs. The same report detailed a proposed breakdown that included $29 million for the downtown police headquarters, $27.3 million for renovating student support and success centers, and $57 million for modernizing and expanding academic spaces.
That pre-election reporting also quoted Nasse saying the bond would save the college an estimated $4 million by refinancing existing debt, and it noted that Executive Vice Chancellor David Bea had estimated the first new buildings funded by the bond would open in three to five years. That timeline was offered before the vote and does not confirm when construction will actually begin.
