Tempe voters appear to be rejecting a proposed sales tax increase by a double-digit margin, with Proposition 424 trailing as it sought to raise more money for public safety, transit and child care.
The proposition looked to raise $50 million through a half-percent sales tax hike to help fill a $24 million budget hole. As of Thursday evening, unofficial results showed more than 59% of voters, or 26,535, were against the measure. Nearly 41%, or 18,190, were in favor.
Although the proposition outlined public safety, transit and child care as services that would be funded by the revenue, some voters, like Tempe-based Brick Road Coffee owner Gabe Hagen, wanted to see more transparency on what exactly that funding would look like…