Residents in Pima County are set to vote on the future of transportation in the county.
The special election — coming up Tuesday, March 10 — will ask voters to decide whether to continue funding a pair of initiatives that pay for road improvements and some public transit.
The Regional Transit Board — or the RTA — oversees voter-approved transit projects across southern Arizona. Voters approved the board’s first 20-year plan in 2006 — and have been paying a half-cent sales tax to support it since then.
Now, the RTA is asking voters to fund the next 20 years of projects. The $2.67 billion proposal would continue the half-cent sales tax and fund everything from roadway improvements in rural county areas, to transit services in Tucson.
Voters will consider the new fund and also whether to pay for existing projects that are still unfinished.
Critics argue the new plan fails to fully fund transit expansion in Tucson and the old RTA wasn’t properly managed. Proponents say continuing the sales tax is needed for existing transit to survive, and the new measures promise new oversight measures — like increases to the citizen-staffed advisory board.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify the date of the election.
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