The city council voted Tuesday night to cancel the date for a special election this summer, which would have asked Tucson voters to establish a new sales tax for city residents.
In February, the council unanimously approved a special election date in August for a proposed sales tax. Later, it was moved up to a July 30 election in accordance with Arizona lawmakers moving the state primary election date up a week.
City staff recommended the council call off this election date because "The Mayor and Council have not yet determined the specific provisions of the (tax) proposal, and the statutory deadlines for the upcoming election have expired," Tucson's new city manager Tim Thomure said in a June 18 memo.
During their Feb. 6 meeting, the council passed an ordinance calling a special election tax "for the purpose of funding community investments to promote quality of life for the residents and businesses." However there were no specifics presented.
The summer election date first had to be okayed with Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, because amendments to state laws have been made trying to "dictate" the timing of local elections, city attorney Mike Rankin said at the time, and that the approval of a summer date brought the legal issue "to a head," he said. The city got approval from Mayes in late March.
Included in the 2024-2025 budget approved by mayor and council earlier this month was a placeholder of $40 million in revenues from the possible sales tax.
A vote could still be on the table for this fiscal year, which spans from June 1 through July 2025, but public outreach and a specific purpose for the tax would need to be presented before sending it to the ballot.
