More than $300,000 has been spent on efforts to influence voters on Proposition 414, the half-cent sales tax increase Tucson voters will decide March 11.
Tucson voters will decide on the $800 million plan that raises the city’s sales for 10 years to mostly pay for items linked to police and fire expenses. The proposition would send about 66% of the expected $80 million per year the higher tax would raise to public safety needs. About 34% would go to address issues related to affordable housing, homelessness and other social needs.
Wednesday is the eadline for Tucson voters to return mail-in ballots for Proposition 414, the 10-year, $800 million plan that would mostly pay for public safety needs. More than $300,000 trying to persuade voters, campaign records show.
If approved, Prop. 414 would raise the city sales tax rate by a half-cent, from 8.7% to 9.2% for the next decade.
Ballots for the all-mail election were sent Feb. 12. The deadline to mail your ballot back is Wednesday, according to the city.
Nearly 306,000 mail-in ballots were sent to Tucson voters.
The Tucson Metro Chamber PAC’s opposition campaign spent nearly $180,000 through the first two months of the year — about $53,500 in January and about $126,000 in February, according to filings with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office.
The largest expenditure, almost $75,000, was spent on TV, radio and online advertising in February.
Tucson Metro Chamber’s PAC raised nearly $120,000 as of Feb. 17. The Arizona Multihousing Association and the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association, both Phoenix-based organizations, each donated $40,000 to the PAC. And $25,000 was sent from the Tucson Association of Realtors; $7,710 came from Royal Speedway, part of Tucson-based Royal Automotive Group; and $7,021 was donated from Jim Click, Inc., according to the PAC’s filings.
The PAC had $21,620 on-hand as of its latest filing on Feb. 21.
The Yes on 414 coalition has spent about $123,346 of the more than $151,000 it has raised, according to a March 1, pre-election filing.
Its largest donors were International Association of Firefighters, giving $55,000. Another $25,000 came from United Food & Commercial Workers Local 99 (UFCW99), and $10,000 each came from the Fraternal Order of Police, the Tucson Police Officers Association PAC and Arizona for All.
The largest donation from an individual was $10,000 from Fletcher McCusker, CEO of UAVenture Capital. McCusker is also chair of the Rio Nuevo board.
The coalition’s largest expenditure was to Uplift Campaigns for mail advertising, costing $55,261, according to the filing.
In-total, the PAC spent nearly $90,000 on radio, digital and mail advertising, according to the March 1 finance report. All but $10,000 of that advertising money went to Uplift.
The PAC reported having a little over $28,000 on-hand entering March.
The 10-year sales tax, dubbed the “Safe & Vibrant City,” would raise an average of $80 million annually, according to the city. About one-third of revenues generated would go toward boosting staffing across city departments, but mostly for police and fire.
The proposition is split into five different areas, deemed “quality-of-life” categories by the city, that would fund housing services, neighborhoods, youth and anti-crime efforts, as well as several items for first responders, including staffing, upgrades for stations and equipment, investments in technology and revamping the police department’s air support unit.
