In early March, Tucsonans will head to the polls for a special election where they'll vote on if the city should add a half-cent to Tucson's 8.7% sales tax.
That proposition, Prop 414, has garnered mixed reactions from the community all over the political spectrum.
One group, the No Prop 414 Coalition, has been rallying and canvasing throughout the city, including at Mayor Romero's annual report to the city, where she praised the proposition.
For the Coalition, the biggest problem isn't the tax itself but where the money made from that tax is going.
Just over 65% of the estimated $80 million made each year is allocated to public safety investments like police, fire and 911 operators.
The president of the Tucson Police Officers Association says emergency services "desperately" need this funding to add staff and upgrade equipment like radios, cameras, computers and cars.
“It’s not just the safety of the officers but the safety of the community as well, and better lighting packages give more visibility." said Darrell Hussman. "It’s also like the office for the officer. They work out of there 24/7. So, we want them to be comfortable, and if there is an accident, we want to make sure we have up to date and modern technology.”
The No Prop 414 Coalition says they're not fighting all emergency funding, but they're concerned that the extra funding and equipment could lead to increased surveillance that would harm already at-risk populations, citing an ACLU study.
"I think we are against, in general, so much funding going to police, because we actually see that the safest communities aren't the most policed," said a representative with No Prop 414. "They're the ones that have the most investments in other resources."
Hussman said a surveillance state is the opposite of what he wants.
“I believe in privacy," he said. "I believe in people’s rights, but when it comes to this, I 100% see the value of keeping the community safer and keeping our officers safer.”
He added that they're approaching public safety differently than "the old way."
"We're seeing where the problems are, and not just where they are at the time but where they're starting," he said. "Once we target that area and the crime is gone, there's no reason to continue to have police there. That's when we move into a community network and building that relationship with the community. We don't want to over-police."
On the other side of the spectrum, the Pima County GOP says they're against the tax increase because it isn't the responsibility of the taxpayer, it's the Mayor and Council's.
“I stand with law enforcement, said Chairperson Kathleen Winn. "But you’re asking the citizens to pay for their public safety when the city of Tucson has enough money to do that, and the money that they’re asking for from the tax payers is egregious.”
Tucson won’t vote on this sales tax hike until March 11. The Pima County Recorder's Office says the city of Tucson will automatically mail out ballots to everyone registered to vote here.
If you aren’t registered, you can register here by Feb. 10 to vote in the special election.
