TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- The Pima County Board of Supervisors has adopted a tentative budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year of about $1.46 billion, about $22 million less than the budget for the current fiscal year which ends June 30.

The board's Democratic majority voted Tuesday to adopt County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry's recommended tentative budget.

Democrats brushed aside complaints by Republicans Ann Day and Ray Carroll that the budget could be lowered for a greater savings to property taxpayers than the cut of 40 cents per $100 valuation in Huckelberry's recommended budget.

The tentative budget adopted 3-2 Tuesday contains a primary property tax rate of about $3.39 per $100 assessed valuation, and a secondary tax rate of about $1.27 per $100 value.

It would cut county property taxes on a $200,000 home by about $80.

Supervisors will vote on a final budget June 17 and set tax rates and levies Aug. 18.

Huckelberry's budget recommendation contains no raises for the county's approximately 7,000 employees, and institutes across-the-board 2 percent cuts to department operational budgets.

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Information from: Tucson Citizen, http://www.tucsoncitizen.com

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