Local leaders in southern Arizona are clashing over the details of a new regional transportation plan slated to go before voters in 2025.
A 20-year transportation plan and half-cent excise tax approved by Pima County voters in 2006 is set to expire soon, and local leaders must put a new proposal before voters to avoid losing millions of dollars for transportation projects around the region.
“We are a long way from getting a settlement on a plan,” said Marana Mayor Ed Honea, who sits on the nine-member Regional Transportation Authority board.
The board wants the plan to have a robust public review before an election in May 2025.
Without a consensus on projects or construction timelines, critics say the transportation board has a lot of work in front of it.
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Tucson ‘not satisfied’ with the draft plan
At the most recent RTA board meeting on Jan. 25, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero demanded a return on investment for Tucson voters from the new RTA plan, called RTA Next.