Yuma County names longtime employee Lucia Gomez as budget director

Yuma County put a veteran internal administrator in charge of one of its most important levers, naming Lucia Gomez as budget director and placing her at the center of decisions that will shape roads, elections, public safety, public health and other services residents depend on every day. Gomez had already been serving as interim budget director after Tony Struck retired, and county leaders said her promotion reflected 22 years of service in county government, including 16 years in the Office of Management and Budget.

The move matters because the budget office is where the county turns policy priorities into dollars. The Office of Management and Budget says its job is to provide strategic budget and performance management services so county stakeholders can allocate resources effectively and deliver high-quality services, and the office lists growth, responsiveness, excellence, accountability and trust as its values. Gomez’s background in long-range planning and collaboration with departments and elected offices gives her direct influence over how the county balances day-to-day operations with bigger capital and service demands.

County Administrator Ian McGaughey said Gomez’s public-service commitment will matter as the county works on its long-term financial health and strategic priorities. Gomez said her focus will be strengthening long-range financial planning, aligning resources with the Board of Supervisors’ priorities and supporting responsible decision-making and long-term sustainability. Those priorities land at a sensitive moment, with the county already deep into fiscal-year planning for 2026-27.

The numbers show why. Yuma County’s 2026 budget totaled $552 million, and the county budget message said the 2025 assessed valuation rose to $332,356,940, up $8,270,740 from the prior year. The net total mill levy was 21.714. The county’s recommended 2026-27 budget was built around a projected year-end General Fund balance of about 24.26% of total uses, above the county’s 20% policy goal, along with a $5 million recession contingency and a 3% reduction in total appropriations compared with the current budget.

The next major test may come from the county’s spending limit. Yuma County has said its Arizona Annual Expenditure Limitation is tied to a 1979-80 formula, and officials are considering asking voters in November 2026 for a permanent base adjustment that would raise the county’s expenditure base by $6.2 million beginning in fiscal year 2027-2028. The county says the limit controls spending, not revenue, and would not by itself raise property taxes, sales taxes or new fees. With the county also highlighting a Government Finance Officers Association Triple Crown recognition, Gomez enters the post with both institutional continuity and heightened scrutiny over how Yuma County spends, saves and plans ahead.