Props will impact motorists, colleges
Oct. 6—As early ballots go out this week, government and education leaders across Maricopa County are starting to cross their fingers over the outcome Nov. 5 of votes on two propositions that could impact motorists and students for years to come.
Among about a dozen state-related propositions on the ballot are two that only Maricopa County voters get to weigh in on: Proposition 479, which extends the half-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects, and Proposition 486, which lifts a cap on spending by the Maricopa Community College District.
Prop 479 took a winding road to the ballot after former Gov. Doug Ducey in a surprise move vetoed an earlier version titled Proposition 400 in 2022. The current tax, approved by voters in 1984 and again in 2004, expires in December 2025.
The veto gave state legislators a chance to retool what the tax can be used for and Republicans took the opportunity to ban its use for any light rail projects after initially allowing some money for them in Prop 400.
Proposition 479 projects a reauthorized tax will raise close to $15 billion for local, county and state road projects, with some allowed for expansion of bus routes.
County Supervisor Jack Sellers, a former member of the State Transportation Board and one of the most ardent crusaders for Prop 479's passage, told a group of East Valley leaders last week that a small group opposing the tax's extension has been falsely claiming that money will go toward light rail projects or "road diet" projects that restrict traffic lanes to make way for bike lanes and sidewalks.
"I'm happy to report that there's about 20 pages of 'pro' and one and a half pages of 'con' on the official voters' pamphlet for the proposition," Sellers said. "I am really, really grateful for all the people that have worked incredibly hard to get us to this point."
"Make sure that you get all the way down your four-page ballot to ensure that you check that box, because it really is going to make a huge difference. I shudder to think what will happen — not just to the county but the entire state — if we don't pass 479."
The Maricopa Association of Governments administers funding from the tax — which would be divvied up among three categories: 40.5% for freeways and other parts of the state highway system; 37% for bus systems and 22.5% for arterial streets, intersection improvements and regional transportation infrastructure.
Grants to municipalities and even the Arizona Department of Transportation for state road projects within Maricopa County often leverage federal funds for a specific project.
Along with virtually every mayor in Maricopa County, a broad range of business and community organizations has urged passage of Proposition 479.
Proposition 486 addresses a different kind of problem: The Community College District has money, but can't spend it under an expenditure limit that voters approved 44 years ago.
In effect, the district faces the same problem that public school districts across the state face every year: Unless the Legislature waives the spending cap, districts face crippling cuts with only a few months left in the school year.
Unlike the problem that public school systems face, however, Proposition 486 would permanently lift the spending cap for the community college system, which serves some 135,000 students annually.
Maricopa Community College District Governing Board Chair Susan Bitter Smith said last month that unless Prop 486 passes, the district would be forced to cut $100 million from its $1 billion budget that supports 10 college campuses and 31 satellites.
"We now offer baccalaureate degrees, which I think is very exciting," she said. "Now you can actually get a four-year degree in many workforce-based programs in a very efficient and, quite frankly, cost-effective way."
Bitter Smith also stressed there is no tax increase involved if the proposition passes.
"It allows us to spend the money you're already giving us in tax revenue that we can't spend legally today."
Noting that Proposition 486 will be the last proposition listed on the Nov. 5 ballot, she expressed hope that voter fatigue won't set in before people get to it on what will be the first two-page ballot in at least five years.
"Our problem is that without having the ability to spend the dollars to service the number of students we have in their programs and to provide the infrastructure — which includes things like computers, AI, technology, equipment, those things we have no dollars to spend on — and without the expenditure limit being raised, we will be in trouble," Bitter Smith said.
She also had a dire warning that failure to pass the proposition would cost the equivalent of keeping Mesa Community College open at the expense of the smaller Paradise Valley and Chandler Gilbert campuses — or vice versa.
Queen Creek voters may find the ballot a bit confusing, said Councilman Robin Benning during the meeting because town voters loving in Pinal County limits have their own transportation tax proposition to vote in — and it has the same proposition number as the Maricopa Community College District proposition.
"Out here in Queen Creek, we're pushing really hard for 479 to get passed," said Benning. "Obviously, it's really important to us. However, we have a slight problem. In Pinal, they're trying to pass a proposition, which happens Prop 486, for a maintenance road tax, not new construction. That's really important."
"There's a lot of people who are saying, 'Well, which 486 am I supposed to vote for?' ... But it's just unfortunate that we couldn't have done a better job of coordinating our proposition numbers."
