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Pima voters to vote on vehicle tax extension in 2025

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Pima voters to vote on vehicle tax extension in 2025

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After five years of deliberation, Pima County voters will weigh in on the future of transportation next November.

In 2025, voters will be asked to approve a 20-year extension of the half-cent tax for the Regional Transportation Authority’s RTA Next plan, a $2.46 billion program for road improvements that would take effect in April 2026 if approved.

This comes after the RTA board, made up of Pima County mayors, tribal leaders and transportation officials, voted Sept. 26 to bring the plan to voters during the November election. At the meeting, the council also voted to hire an outside firm to conduct outreach to hard-to-reach communities and demographics.

RTA Next follows the previous 20-year tax passed by voters in 2006, which injected $2.1 billion into the RTA plan, which expires in 2026.

The vote to implement the plan was controversial.

City leaders across the region remain divided over where funds should be directed. — Marana Mayor Ed Honea and Oro Valley Mayor Joe Winfield voted against moving forward with the plan. Officials from Tucson, Sahuarita, South Tucson, Pima County and the Arizona Department of Transportation voted in favor of the proposal, with the Tucson Bus Rapid Transit project a central issue.

Despite the controversy, Arizona Transportation Board member Ted Maxwell said now is the time to educate the public.

“This is as close as we’re going to get, otherwise we’ll be arguing about this for the next two years, but we won’t get there,” Maxwell said, reiterating that it took six years to develop the RTA Next plan. .

Maxwell emphasized the need for regional transportation funding to expand and improve roads as people continue to move into the region, especially as communities like Vail and Marana continue to grow.

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How will the RTA Next plan spend $2.46 billion?

The new plan includes more than 40 road, safety and wildlife connectivity projects throughout the county, with nearly half of the projects located in Tucson.

Tucson projects include upgrading and widening roads, improving pedestrian and bike paths, and expanding public transportation options.

Marana has several projects, including two overpasses on Interstate 10, near Cortaro Road and Mangerine Road. Oro Valley, Sahuarita, Pascua Yaqui and South Tucson also have several road improvement projects. Pima County and the Arizona Department of Transportation also handle most of the road construction projects.

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During discussions about what projects to include in the next RTA plan, Tucson has pushed for more public transit. That includes supplementing the city’s $140 million bus rapid transit project with $70 million to come from the Regional Transportation Authority.

Other leaders said the funds would be better placed in a contingency reserve, which is used to protect projects from inflation, economic downturns, lack of revenue and other unexpected expenses.

“I think we’ve learned lessons from the RTA … that I don’t think are reflected in what we bring to the community in a contingency situation,” said Winfield, the Oro Valley mayor. He added that he believes voters will support increasing funds in the contingency reserve.

Winfield proposed eliminating $70 million in plan funds for the Tucson bus rapid transit project and using that funding for contingency and wildlife connections.

Reserve funds became an issue under the old plan when the U.S. recession hit in 2009, reducing tax revenues. In response, the council used $230 million in Pima Association of Governments regional funds to pay for RTA projects. It’s unclear whether that strategy can be replicated under the new plan, which would allocate $25.3 million to reserve funds.

Honea, the mayor of Marana, supported Winfield’s proposal. He said he would prefer to see the funds go to the rapid transit contingency to protect Marana and other transportation projects, a concern he has raised for months.

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“I’m looking at a $200 million exchange that I hope is in phase one because it will benefit so many people, not just the city and county, but Marana and Cortaro.“,” – he said. “We may need reserve (funds), and we need them to move programs forward.”

The proposal angered Tucson Mayor Romero, who said Winfield bus rapid transit is a priority for Tucson residents.

“We as a city have said repeatedly that bus rapid transit is important to us,” she said. “So yes, I will be angry if this comes at me when I walk into this meeting without even expecting it.”

Romero then questioned what Winfield “has against” bus rapid transit. She also noted that without RTA guaranteeing funding for the bus project, she would vote against moving forward with the project.

Tucson, with two-thirds of the district’s voters, played a key role in the plan’s passage and remains steadfast in its commitment to maintaining public transit funding.

Tucson officials question RTA’s ability to deliver on promises

There are still 17 unfinished projects in the latest transport plan. The cost to complete seven of those unfinished projects increased, resulting in a $195 million deficit. Questions remain about how to fill this funding gap.

With most of the unfinished projects in Tucson, officials are concerned the city will have to decide how to finance those projects, including completing the Grant Road improvement project.

“Really, the city of Tucson is responsible for how we’re going to do these projects, and it shouldn’t be the city of Tucson and its residents who are responsible for how we pay for these projects.” projects,” Romero said.

Contact the reporter at [email protected]. The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded in part by a grant from Report for America. Support Arizona news coverage with a tax-deductible donation at supportjournalism.azcentral.com.