Sales tax: what’s next: Tucson voters decided Tuesday to raise the city sales tax, we’ll interview City Manager Mike Ortega about the next steps for using that money on police and fire equipment, plus road repairs. Decriminalizing Mental Illness: Pima County is half-way through a grant aimed at reducing the jail population. As part of that effort, this week the county holds a conference with judges, mental health professionals, prosecutors and defense attorneys, including experts from out of state. They’ll discuss how to focus on getting mentally ill people the treatment they need as an alternative to jail. Interviewees: Ellen Wheeler, assistant Pima County administrator, Miami-Dade county court judge Steven Leifman, who initiated similar strategies to bring down the number of incarcerated people who needed mental health treatment instead of jail. Freshmen lawmakers: Two state representatives from Tucson will reflect on their first year in the Arizona House of Representatives. We checked in with them in January, so now we follow up after the close of the Legislative session. Guests: Democrat Kirsten Engel, Republican Todd Clodfelter. Legislature recap: Christopher Conover gives an update on the legislative action that could affect Southern Arizona, including university building repairs and municipal budgets. Tucson budget: We return to our conversation with Tucson City Manager Mike Ortega, this time with a focus on the city budget, not just as a reaction to the sales tax, but because the state budget affects city revenue. Ortega has been focused on ending the city’s annual deficit, how is that going?
