Prop. 479 would determine whether a portion of sales tax money would go toward another 20 years of road projects in Maricopa County.
PHOENIX — Scheduled for a vote this November, Maricopa County residents will vote on whether to continue or kill a measure that would earmark a portion of sales tax revenue for transportation projects over the next 20 years.
The bill is Proposition 479.
For the past 40 years, a portion of the county’s sales tax has been earmarked for highway, road and transportation projects. Proposition 479 is a continuation of this existing dedicated 0.5 cent sales tax that will run through 2045.
“This is a funding source that is really helping us fund major regional infrastructure investments,” said John Bullen, deputy executive director of the Maricopa Association of Governments.
The bill originally began in 1985 as Proposition 300 and was then voted to continue as Proposition 400 in 2004. However, this bill expires at the end of 2025. It is now back for a vote on November 5th as Proposition 479.
According to Maricopa Government Associationthis sales tax is paid on Loops 101, 202, 303, State Route 51, and more than 250 major highways in the Valley, among others. A “yes” vote would extend the tax for another 20 years, meaning Maricopa County residents would pay the same amount they already paid. A “no” vote will cancel the event.
Of the 0.5 cents paid through the sales tax, about 40 percent goes to highways and freeways, about 22 percent goes to road improvements and infrastructure, and 37 percent goes to public transportation.
“We predict that these investments will help reduce average commute times to less than 30 minutes by 2050, which is a huge impact,” Ballen added. “If you look at our peers in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, they have more than 30 minutes today.”
If this bill does not pass, future projects will have to be funded elsewhere. It could be from the state or federal government.
“If it doesn’t pass, we won’t have a specific revenue stream to build the improvements we identified in the plan,” Bren added.
Proposition 479 applies only to transportation projects in Maricopa County. The video shown on air is a project already funded by Prop 479.
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