City of Phoenix Comprehensive Transportation Plan Funding, Proposition 104 (August 2015)
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A measure authorizing a sales tax for a Comprehensive Transportation Plan was on the ballot for Phoenix voters in Maricopa County, Arizona, on August 25, 2015. It was approved.
Proposition 104 authorized the city to impose a transportation sales tax at a rate of 0.7 percent—seven cents for every $10 purchase—for 35 years. The revenue from the tax would be used to fund a transportation improvement plan for the city, including expansion and improvement of light rail and bus routes and road maintenance and repair. The city of Phoenix already had a 0.4 percent transportation tax in place. This tax was set to expire in 2020. Proposition 104 was designed to increase the tax to 0.7 percent and extend it until 2051.[1]
The proposed plan was designed to include the addition of 42 miles to the 13.5-mile city light rail system. Among other stops, the new routes were drawn to include stops around Grand Canyon University on the west side of Phoenix, the Glendale ASU West campus and Paradise Valley Mall.[2]
Supporters argued that the tax would pay for important transportation improvements, which would boost the city's economy and quality of life.
Opponents argued that the tax was too high and unfair to those city residents who would not benefit from the transportation improvements. Opponents also criticized city officials for not including information about the city's then current transportation tax in the ballot language for 104.[3]
Election results
| Phoenix, Proposition 104 | ||||
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
 Yes | 73,067 | 54.75% | ||
| No | 60,388 | 45.25% | ||
- Election results from Phoenix Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot title
The following official title appeared on the ballot for Proposition 104:[1]
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An Ordinance To Fund A Comprehensive Transportation Plan For Phoenix To Maintain And Expand The Light Rail And Bus Systems, Improve City Streets And Roadways, And Provide Phoenix Residents With More Transportation Choices. (quote) |
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Ballot description
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The following description appeared on the ballot for Proposition 104:[1]
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Chapter 14 of the Phoenix City Code shall be amended where applicable to set the portion of the transaction privilege and use tax rate for transportation to seven-tenths of one penny per dollar for a period of 35 years beginning on January 1, 2016. The funds will support a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation plan that provides Phoenix residents with more transportation choices, including light rail and buses, as well as builds and improves public streets and roadways. To advance transparency, public input, and government accountability, all expenditures under this plan shall be reviewed by a Citizens Transportation Committee. The revenues raises may be spent for activities including the following:
This measure also addresses City payment for utility relocation required by projects in this plan. A lower tax rate shall be adopted for the sale or use of a single item of tangible personal property on the value in excess of $10,000.00. (quote) |
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Ballot question
The following ballot question appeared on the ballot for Proposition 104:[1]
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Shall Chapter 14 of the Phoenix City Code be amended as described above to fund a comprehensive transportation plan for Phoenix?[4] |
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Full text
The full text of Proposition 104 is available here.
Transportation plan
Light rail and bus route enhancements
The following maps show the proposed additions to the city's light rail and RAPID bus systems that would be funded by Proposition 104 revenue:
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Street repair and improvement
The following map shows the proposed street repairs and improvements that would be funded by Proposition 104 revenue:
Support
Supporters argued that the proposed tax would enhance the city's transportation system in an essential way and provide a boost to the economy and the culture of the city.[2]
Mayor Greg Stanton, the incumbent in the city's 2015 mayoral race, supported Proposition 104. Stanton said, “When (Proposition 104) is passed, hundreds of thousands of people will be able to connect to education, or to employment centers, increasing their job prospects, and they can connect to the locations where they can realistically find jobs."[5]
Opposition
Opponents argued that the proposed transportation improvements were not worth the additional taxes imposed by Prop. 104. They also argued that Proposition 104 was unfair since the whole city would pay the sales tax but a bulk of the new transportation enhancements would benefit only a portion of the city's residents. Opponents also criticized city officials for not including information about the city's then current transportation tax in the ballot language for 104.[3][2]
Related measures
Other 2015 Phoenix measures
City of Phoenix General Plan Ratification, Proposition 100 (August 2015)
City of Phoenix Alternative Expenditure Limitation, Proposition 101 (August 2015)
City of Phoenix Electronic Payments Amendment, Proposition 102 (August 2015)
City of Phoenix Pension Plan Charter Amendment, Proposition 103 (August 2015)
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Phoenix comprehensive Transportation Plan funding Proposition 104. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Local sales tax on the ballot
- City tax on the ballot
- Local transportation on the ballot
- August 25, 2015 ballot measures in Arizona
- Maricopa County, Arizona ballot measures
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix, Arizona municipal elections, 2015
Other elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Phoenix Elections Office, "Ballot Form Ordinance for Election on August 25, 2015," accessed August 5, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 AZCentral, "What’s on the ballot? A guide to the Phoenix election," August 4, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 AZCentral, "Phoenix transit tax is full of election games," July 31, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ KTAR News, "Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton working hard on re-election bid, passage of Prop. 104," August 20, 2015
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