02/01/2025
When you think of the different departments at Pima County, Real Property Services (RPS) might not leap to mind right away.
Behind the scenes, however, the work RPS does is essential. Just as a field of flowers couldn’t bloom without the bee that flits from petal to petal, so the County couldn’t operate as efficiently as it does without the tireless efforts of this humble department.
“We are the liaison for real estate between the public and the County, and between the various County departments that have needs,” said RPS director Jeffrey Teplitsky. “Mostly, we’re responding and reacting to requests from other departments or from constituents.”
As the department’s name suggests, its remit is real property – essentially, land and any structures that stand on it. When the County needs to appraise property – whether to acquire it, sell it, or lease it – it falls to RPS to manage that complex process, a task that the department’s team of fewer than 10 full-time employees handles with swiftness and assurance.
“We’re guiding the process, making sure everything goes smoothly,” Teplitsky said.
The department also manages properties that are owned, but not operated, by the County such as ranch houses or properties acquired for road projects, a task that may include juggling everything from park operating agreements to residential leases. If telecommunications services need to license County-owned land or right-of-way for their cell towers, RPS are the folks they’ll be talking to. (Properties that are both owned and operated by the County are managed by Pima County Facilities Management.)
RPS also appraises property for the Pima County Regional Flood Control District's Floodprone Land Acquisition Program, a voluntary program through which the County acquires parcels of land in areas that are especially vulnerable to flooding.
“If someone owns a property in a flood area, and they have an interest in selling it, Flood Control will accept an application from the property owner to acquire it,” Teplitsky said. “If it’s a good candidate, then Flood Control gets in touch with us, and we go through the steps of acquiring the property, which includes an appraisal, an offer to acquire and finally a closed real estate transaction.”
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[📸: Real Property Services director Jeff Teplitsky stands in front of the Teatro Carmen, one of numerous properties that his department has helped Pima County to acquire.]
