TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Would you continue to tax yourself a half cent for every dollar you spend if it raised 2.6 billion dollars for better roads? That could be the question voters will get from the Regional Transportation Authority.
If you’re a driver what is the price of easing frustration? For going on 20 years, drivers in Pima County have paid an extra half cent on their sales tax to support the Regional Transportation Authority in a wide range of road projects. Now RTA is gearing up to ask for a 20 year extension.
The lowly penny can have some real power when thousands of people pay a half penny per dollar over 20 years time.
That money powered plenty of paving and expansion to help traffic flow faster, through projects like widening work on Broadway, on Grant Road and work on roads, intersections and bike and pedestrian lands across the region.
The RTA board has drafted a list of proposed projects for what it calls RTA Next, another 20 years of work, paid for with another 20 years of that half cent sales tax per dollar.
Eileen Lamse says, “Well, I would support that, because I feel like we need the improvements, but I would hope they'd be a lot more careful about what they used it for and how they used it.”
Reporter Craig Smith asked: “What do you mean by that?
“Well, I feel that they were given a certain amount of money and they didn't shepherd it and watch it and make sure that it was going to achieve the goals that they had gotten it for.”
Yvonne Reineke says, “I’m not really for it. It seems like some of the work that they’ve done with Broadway, they disrupted businesses and probably what needed to happen was repaving rather than all this other stuff.”
The RTA board still has to officially ask Pima County Supervisors to set a date for the election on RTA Next. Dates could be March or November of 2026.
