Supervisors OK Report Urging Tax Swap for Road Repairs

The Pima County Board of Supervisors have accepted a report from a committee tasked with studying the idea of replacing a recently instated property tax funding road repair with a sales tax that would raise more money.

The Sales Tax Advisory Committee report recommends instituting a half-cent sales tax for ten years.

"That would cover fixing all of the unincorporated roads in Pima County," said Committee Vice Chair Michael McDonald. "It would also provide significant improvements for cities and towns to develop their own transportation plans to address their needs as well."

McDonald told supervisors that the report details how problematic roads are in the area.

"Seventy percent of our roads in Tucson and the unincorporated areas are in poor or failed conditions," he said.

He added that failed roads cost vehicle owners an average of $542 a year in additional maintenance.

The sales tax would replace a 25-cent property tax. Proceeds from the sales tax would go entirely toward road repairs for the first year. That amount would shift toward property tax reduction at a rate of 2.5 percent for the first 10 years. In year 11, all money raised by the sales tax would go toward reducing property taxes.

Any money that is to be spent on roads would go to the Regional Transportation Authority, with specifications that it be spent on road repair.

Tuesday's unanimous acceptance of the report does not mean the plan is ready to be implemented, though.

"The action [Tuesday] is about accepting the report without going through point-by-point with agree and disagree, and then directing staff how we wish to proceed," said Supervisor Ramon Valadez.

Valadez asked that the acceptance include instructions to staff to prepare drafts of an ordinance and a resolution be prepared in time for an April 17 Board of Supervisors meeting.

Supervisors plan to debate the draft legislation at that meeting with hopes of voting on it in May.

View the report here.