PHOENIX — Coming to the ballot this November, Maricopa County citizens will vote to either continue or discontinue a bill that takes some of the sales tax and puts it towards transportation projects for the next 20 years.
That bill is Proposition 479.
For the last 40 years, there's been a portion of the county's citizen sales tax going to freeway, road, and transit projects. Prop. 479 is a continuation of this already existing dedicated half-cent sales tax that would last until 2045.
“This is the funding source that’s really been instrumental in our major regional infrastructure investments," assistant executive director of Maricopa Association of Governments John Bullen said.
The bill originally started as Prop. 300 in 1985. Then was voted to continue as Prop. 400 in 2004. However, it expires at the end of 2025. Now it's back up for a vote on Nov. 5 as Prop. 479.
According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, this sales tax has paid for Loop 101, 202, 303 and state route 51, over 250 arterial roads in the Valley, and more. A vote ‘yes’ extends the tax for two more decades and Maricopa County citizens pay the same amount as they already have. A vote ‘no’ will discontinue it.
Out of the half-cent that's being paid through the sales tax, about 40% goes to freeways and highways, about 22% goes to street improvements and infrastructure, and 37% goes to public transit.
“By 2050 we project that we’ll be able to keep our average commute time less than 30 minutes with these investments which is really impactful," Bullen added. "When you look at some of our peers Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle. They’re over 30 minutes today.”
If the bill doesn't pass, future projects would have to be funded from elsewhere. That could be from the state or federal government.
“If it doesn’t pass then we won’t have an identified revenue stream to build the improvements that we have identified in the plan," Bullen added.
Prop 479 would be just for Maricopa County transportation projects. The video shown on-air are projects already funded by Prop 479.
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