The Pima County Sales Tax Advisory Committee — formed unanimously by the Pima County Board of Supervisors last year — had three basic questions to answer:
- Should Pima County adopt a half-cent general sales tax?
- Should the sales tax revenue be used for road repair and/or property tax reduction?
- Should the sales tax be temporary or permanent?
Their answers, respectively, were “yes,” “both” and “temporary,” according to the committee’s final report.
Specifically, the group recommended a 10-year tax whose proceeds would be shared with cities and towns based on population. If approved — a big if, as you’ll see — they want the current 25-cent road repair property tax to be ended, and for a portion of the proceeds to be used to further reduce primary property taxes in the county, which has the highest primary rate in Arizona.
Finally, in recognition of the disproportionate impact that sales taxes have on low-income residents, they asked the board to “take mitigation actions” to temper that impact. Among those actions, they suggest additional support for tax filing assistance so that more poor residents can take advantage of tax credits and using 1 percent of sales tax revenues to support “programs and services that increase the financial stability of low-income households.”
“It is clear that the people of Pima County want and expect you to fix the roads, and they want you to do so now,” the committee’s chair and vice chair — Wendell Long and Michael McDonald, respectively — wrote in a March 8 letter to the board. “Please don’t pass on this opportunity to lead on this critical and most basic issue that is clearly your responsibility.”
The recommendations are largely in line with resident feedback submitted online, the results of which were provided to the Road Runner.
On the first and most basic question, 54 percent of more than 100 respondents said the county should adopt a sales tax. Some 40 percent were opposed and the remainder were unsure.
Support for funding property tax reductions was tepid, with 58 percent saying all revenues should be spent on road repair, 31 percent of a mind that a combination of both was best and the remainder — nearly 11 percent — wanting all revenues to be used for property tax reductions.
A modest majority — 54 percent — want the tax to be temporary.
“You have overtaxed us already, and our taxes so far have not been properly applied,” one opponent wrote.
“If this is the only way you can address the roads, then yes,” a qualified supporter commented. “This money should be used ONLY for road repair. The county needs to come off of its position of preservation only and start dealing with FAILED ROADS!!!!!”
The committee’s recommendation is mostly agnostic on the two sales-tax plans that have been put forward by Supervisors Ramón Valadez and Steve Christy.
Previous columns flesh each out in more detail, but the basic features of Christy’s are that all funds would be used for road repair, the RTA would manage the effort and the tax would be temporary.
In contrast, Valadez’s proposal features steadily increasing reductions in property taxes for the first 10 years, after which the entire take goes toward those reductions. If any board ever tries to use revenues for anything other than roads or property taxes, the sales tax terminates.
But as readers of this column know, either plan — or any other supervisors-approved sales tax — needs to clear a high bar: a unanimous Board of Supervisors vote, a challenging prospect given hard opposition from one supervisor and skepticism from another.
Supervisor Richard Elías, who is concerned about the regressive nature of sales taxes, was pleased to see the committee acknowledge the disproportionate impact on low-income people, but didn’t think the measures went far enough.
He said 20 percent of the sales tax revenues funding programs and organizations that work with poor county residents “is the right number.” He also takes a dim view of using revenues to reduce property taxes, which he thinks is a worthy goal, but one that should be tackled separately.
Supervisor Ally Miller, who has argued that current revenues properly prioritized are sufficient to address the roads issue, did not respond to a request for comment. Her appointee to the committee — Allan Cameron — voted for the recommendation.
But their support may not even be necessary in the end. A bill that would give the board the ability to refer an additional half-cent RTA sales tax to the voters with a simple majority appears to have some momentum.
SB 1147 has cleared the Senate and one committee in the house. It is scheduled for a hearing in the House Ways and Means committee this Wednesday.
For Christy, RTA management and voter approval — “the way it should be,” in his opinion — are strong selling points for the bill.
Similarly, Supervisor Sharon Bronson’s preference is for any sales tax to go to the voters, but would also support either Christy’s or Valadez’s plan.
“My preference is to get the job done, whatever it takes,” she said.
Still skeptical, Elías also liked the longer timeline if SB 1147 is approved. The soonest any such measure could be on the ballot would be November, but it likely will be later, the county’s lobbyist Michael Racy previously told the Road Runner.
“Folks have to have a real voice in all of this,” Elías said. “We’re way past the point where individuals decide these kind of things.”
The sales tax committee’s report and recommendations can be read here: tinyurl.com/y7wm6488
DOWN THE ROAD
Starting Monday, crews will be lowering manhole and water valve covers along South Midvale Park Road between West Valencia and West Irvington roads. Shifts will be from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Thursday, during which delays are expected. The work is in preparation for a repaving project that is expected to start March 26 and last through mid-April.
Crack sealing will take place at the following locations:
- South Camino de la Tierra between West Valencia and West Los Reales roads, Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- North Flowing Wells Road between West Roger and West River roads, Tuesday through Monday, March 26, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Overnight striping work will take place Monday through Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. at the following locations:
- West Wetmore Road from North La Cholla Boulevard to North Highway Drive.
- Flowing Wells from Roger to River roads.
- La Cholla from Wetmore to River roads.
- Camino de la Tierra from Valencia to Los Reales
- Irvington from Mission Road to South Cactus Wren Avenue.
