In this episode of Inside Pima County, Supervisor Rex Scott sits down with Pima County Public Library Director Tess Mayer to discuss her background, the role of libraries in the community, and the future of the library system. Mayer shares her journey from teaching English as a second language to a career in librarianship, shaped by her belief that access to information can transform lives. Her experience working in major library systems in Seattle and Berkeley helped shape her focus on equity, outreach, and breaking down barriers to access—values that drew her to Pima County.

Mayer highlights the scope and impact of the Pima County Public Library system, which includes 27 locations, approximately 500 employees, and around three million in-person visits annually, in addition to robust online usage. She emphasizes that modern libraries go far beyond books, offering a wide range of services including e-books, streaming content, online classes, workforce development programs, and community programming. Many of these digital resources remain underutilized, making outreach and awareness a key priority.

The conversation underscores the library’s role as a community hub that supports lifelong learning, literacy, and connection. Traditional offerings like storytimes and book groups remain central, but Mayer also points to innovative programming—from live performances to unique learning experiences—that reflect the evolving needs and interests of the community. She also highlights nontraditional items available for checkout, such as health equipment and Culture Passes that provide free access to local museums, expanding access to education and enrichment opportunities.

Looking ahead, Mayer identifies several priorities, including modernizing outdated materials-handling technology to improve efficiency, safety, and user experience. She also discusses ongoing and future capital projects, such as the new Mission Library and the long-term planning for a new main library, both of which will be shaped by community input. Expanding library hours and improving equitable access across the county are also key goals, particularly for working families and underserved areas.

The discussion also touches on the connection between libraries and broader County initiatives, including early childhood education scholarships funded through the library district. Mayer emphasizes that supporting literacy and early education are complementary—not competing—priorities, both essential to community well-being.

Finally, Mayer highlights the critical role of community partners like the Friends of the Library and the Library Foundation, which provide funding and volunteer support for programs and services. She closes by reinforcing the idea that libraries are foundational to democracy—providing free and open access to information, supporting civic engagement, and ensuring that all residents have the opportunity to learn, grow, and participate fully in their community.

Overall, the episode presents the Pima County Public Library system as a dynamic, evolving resource—one that continues to adapt to meet the needs of a diverse and growing community while staying grounded in its core mission of access, literacy, and lifelong learning.

In this episode of Inside Pima County with Supervisor Rex Scott, Supervisor Scott speaks with Kathryn Skinner, Director of the Pima County Department of Transportation, about the work that goes into planning, maintaining, and improving the county’s transportation network.

Skinner shares her professional journey from the University of Arizona, where she studied civil engineering, to nearly two decades of service with Pima County. After beginning her career designing bridges and transportation structures, she joined the county through the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and eventually worked her way through several leadership roles before becoming director three and a half years ago.

The conversation provides an overview of the Transportation Department and the scale of its responsibilities. With roughly 190 authorized positions, the department maintains more than 2,200 miles of roadway throughout unincorporated Pima County—often described as the “donut around Tucson.” Crews work across a wide geographic area, from maintaining rural roads in Ajo to clearing snow on Mount Lemmon.

Skinner explains the department’s five primary divisions: planning and engineering, maintenance operations, construction monitoring, mobility innovation and technology, and administrative services. Together, these teams manage traffic signals, roadway striping, grading of unpaved roads, storm response, and capital improvement projects.

A major focus of the discussion is the county’s Road Repair and Maintenance Program. After assessments found that roughly 70 percent of county-maintained roads were in poor or failed condition several years ago, the county implemented a long-term program to address repairs. Since then, more than 500 miles of neighborhood streets have been resurfaced, improving the overall condition of the county’s road network to a “very good” rating.

The episode also explains how transportation funding works in Arizona. The department relies heavily on state-shared transportation revenues such as the gas tax and vehicle license taxes. Because Arizona’s gas tax has not increased since 1991 and vehicles are becoming more fuel efficient, maintaining a growing road network presents ongoing financial challenges.

Skinner also discusses new technology and partnerships that are helping the department work more efficiently, including drone mapping, advanced data analysis, and research collaborations with the University of Arizona’s Center for Advanced Transportation Sciences.

The conversation highlights ways residents can participate as well, including the SeeClickFix mobile app, which allows the public to report issues such as potholes, damaged signs, or other roadway concerns. In addition, the Transportation Advisory Committee—made up of citizen representatives from each supervisor district—provides public input on transportation priorities.

Finally, Skinner discusses the department’s upcoming Transportation Master Plan, which will gather community feedback to help guide long-term transportation planning and investments across Pima County.

This episode offers listeners a closer look at the people, planning, and resources that keep Pima County’s transportation system operating every day.

In this episode of Inside Pima County, Supervisor Rex Scott visits the Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) to speak with Director Steve Kozachik about the center’s operations, challenges, and future plans. Kozachik shares his background in public service and animal welfare, and explains that PACC is much more than an adoption center — it is the county’s only open-admission shelter, providing intake services, veterinary care, animal protection enforcement, dispatch support, and community resources across 9,200 square miles. The conversation highlights current overcrowding challenges, staffing and retention issues, and the emotional demands placed on employees and volunteers. Kozachik discusses new solutions, including the upcoming Eastside Adoption Center (EPAC) and the newly opened Animal Restoration Kennnel (ARK), which will address hoarding, cruelty, and neglect cases using privately donated funds. The episode also emphasizes the critical role of approximately 1,300 volunteers and nonprofit partner Friends of PACC, while encouraging the community to support PACC through adoption, fostering, volunteering, and reporting animal welfare concerns.

In this episode of Inside Pima County, Supervisor Rex Scott is joined by Mike Ortega, Executive Director of the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) and the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA). The conversation focuses on how regional transportation planning is structured in Pima County and Southern Arizona, and the respective roles of PAG, the RTA, and their governing boards. Ortega begins by outlining his professional background in engineering and public service, including prior roles with Pima County, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Cochise County, and the City of Tucson. He discusses how his engineering training informs his approach to managing complex public-sector projects and explains how technical analysis is applied to long-term transportation planning. The episode provides an overview of PAG’s function as the region’s metropolitan planning organization, including its responsibilities related to transportation funding coordination, air quality planning, and regional policy discussions. Ortega also explains how PAG provides administrative support to the RTA, which was established to fund and implement voter-approved regional transportation projects. Scott and Ortega review the structure and membership of the PAG Regional Council and the RTA Board, and describe the boards’ responsibilities for overseeing project delivery and financial accountability. The discussion includes background on the original RTA plan approved by voters in 2006, the scope of projects completed under that plan, and the financial challenges that affected project completion over time. The conversation also covers how the RTA evaluates remaining projects, project re-scoping, and long-term funding considerations. Ortega explains how accountability, reporting, and oversight processes are designed to track progress and address changing conditions over the life of a transportation program. Topics discussed include roadway improvements, pavement rehabilitation, transit and paratransit services, safety and active transportation investments, and environmental considerations such as wildlife crossings. The episode concludes with general information on where residents can find publicly available information about regional transportation planning and the structure of future transportation plans.

In this episode of Inside Pima County with Rex Scott, Supervisor Rex Scott sits down with Kris Gade, Director of Pima County’s newest department: Conservation and Land Resources (CLR). The conversation explores how the department was formed, what it manages, and why Pima County’s long-standing commitment to conservation continues to shape responsible growth across the region.

Listeners gain insight into how science, land management, historic preservation, and public access come together to protect over 260,000 acres of county land, while still supporting development, recreation, education, and community involvement.

Conservation Lands & Resources | Pima County, AZ

In this conversation, Supervisor Rex Scott interviews Heath Vescovi-Chiordi, the director of the Economic Development Department in Pima County. They discuss the structure and responsibilities of the department, the strategic planning process for economic development, collaboration with regional partners, key factors for attracting businesses, and the integration of the Prosperity Initiative. The conversation highlights the importance of workforce development, partnerships with the Chamber of Southern Arizona, and the focus on specific industries for economic growth.

In this episode of Inside Pima County, Supervisor Rex Scott focuses on how Pima County government is organized and why connecting with the right county office matters when addressing community concerns.

His conversation with Jen Darland, Director of Office of Housing Opportunities and Homeless Solutions highlights how Pima County approaches complex issues through clearly defined roles and coordinated leadership. When the focus is homelessness and housing-related initiatives, her office serves as the central hub, coordinating county departments, nonprofit partners, and regional strategies. When a request involves public safety, the Sheriff’s Department is the appropriate point of contact, as it oversees countywide law enforcement services and operational response.

Rather than concentrating decision-making in one place, Pima County relies on subject-matter experts to manage and implement programs. This episode explains how that structure allows the County to respond more effectively, use taxpayer resources responsibly, and ensure that discussions are informed by the people closest to the work.

Listeners will gain insight into how Pima County functions behind the scenes, how meetings are routed to achieve the most productive outcomes, and how residents can engage county government in a way that leads to clearer information and better results.

This episode reinforces Pima County’s commitment to transparency, coordination, and accessible government by helping residents better understand not just what the County does, but how it works for them.

Welcome to the first episode of Inside Pima County with Supervisor Rex Scott. Supervisor Rex Scott is joined by Nicole Scott (no relation!), Director of the Pima Early Education Program Scholarships, better known as PEEPs, for a conversation about why early childhood education matters, how this scholarship program began, and what it’s doing for families across Pima County.

Nicole shares the origins of PEEPS, tracing it back to the failed Strong Start Tucson ballot initiative and the community coalition that formed afterward, Preschool Promise, made up of early childhood advocates and business leaders committed to reducing barriers to high-quality preschool access.

Pima County committed to $10 million to fund scholarships for low-income children, noting the average preschool cost was about $800/month per child (and higher today). The program launched with federal pandemic relief funding and transitioned to a sustainable local funding approach enabled by state legislative action.

The episode also highlights how PEEPS expands both access and capacity—getting children into quality preschool “seats,” while also creating more high-quality seats countywide. Nicole describes the partnership with United Way and its Accelerate Quality program, which helps providers increase quality and grow capacity. PEEPS serves about 1,500 children per year and has supported roughly 5,000 children since launch, while Accelerate Quality has worked with 70+ providers, impacting 2,000+ children.

Listeners will also learn how K–12 school districts play a key role by hosting preschool classrooms on campuses—growing from 9 classes to 30+—and how Pima County works with First Things First to reach nearly 200 providers across private, nonprofit, and home-based settings through Arizona’s mixed-delivery system.

The conversation closes with a look ahead: PEEPS currently meets about 41% of the region’s need, and Pima County is working with community partners and employers to grow support, space, and awareness. Supervisor Scott connects PEEPS to the broader Prosperity Initiative, a regional policy framework focused on reducing intergenerational poverty by recognizing that families thrive when childcare and early learning are accessible, stable, and high-quality.

Guest: Nicole Scott, Director, Pima Early Education Program Scholarships (PEEPS)

Host: Rex Scott, Pima County Supervisor, District 1

Inside Pima County with Supervisor Rex Scott is an informational podcast produced by the Pima County District 1 Office to help residents better understand county programs, services, and initiatives.