As I enter my third year of my first term as county supervisor, it’s encouraging to see all the progress we’ve made to improve transportation infrastructure in our region. , the next two years will be very important if we want to continue these improvements. This will require a concerted effort by all who care about the future of Pima County and continued cooperation between local governments within the Regional Transit Authority.

Pima County is responsible for all roads within the unincorporated portion of the county. In 2019, the previous Board of Supervisors unanimously decided to introduce a program to rehabilitate and maintain both neighborhood streets and arterial/collection roads using a combination of local funds and state-shared revenues. Over the past three fiscal years, the oversight board has injected additional funds into the program beyond its original budget to accelerate the pace of restoration.

This year, we allocated a total of $66 million to this program. As the program progresses, residents can expect maintenance to be a top priority to ensure that the rehabilitated roads remain in good condition. We are also currently reassessing the pavement condition of all roads to ensure that the worst roads are repaired first.

One of my responsibilities is to serve on the Pima County Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Commission. Her eight colleagues of mine are his five mayors of our city and town, chairman of the Pascuayaki Tribe and Tohono Odamnation, Southern Arizona Representative of the Arizona Transportation Commission. To complete all projects in the county voter-approved plan in 2006 and create an RTA Next plan for voter approval to address future needs.

Our current RTA plan is one of the most significant and successful investments we have made in quality of life. More than 900 projects and services have been provided to people in the region, thanks to the wise decision to support this initiative 17 years ago. These include not only road improvements, but bike lanes, bus pull-outs, public transport, pedestrian crossings, wildlife linkages, and many other items.

Four road projects (one in Pima County, one involving Marana and Pima County, and two in Tucson) were transferred to RTA Next primarily due to revenue shortfalls associated with the 2008-2009 recession . The RTA Board has committed to completing these four projects using local, state and federal funds, even if the RTA Next plan is not approved. However, it is essential that the region once again come together to formulate and pass a new plan.

For us to move forward together, each jurisdiction must be held accountable for the part of its transport infrastructure that is its responsibility. Our interconnectedness means that there will be regional priorities best addressed through the new RTA plan. Nor can we rely on federal or state funding to meet these needs.

The 0.5 cent sales tax we all paid is funding the current RTA plan. This is the amount the RTA board will likely ask voters to continue to pay to fund the next 20 year plan. We are drafting a plan that will be reviewed by us and the public to give us reason to approve. We need to have the wisdom and foresight to invest in the future again.

For more information on current and future initiatives, please visit the RTA website at rtamobility.com. Together, Pima County can achieve anything.