TUCSON, Ariz. — The City of Tucson is holding an all-mail in Special Election March 11 on Proposition 414. That's the proposition that would add a half-cent sales tax within Tucson city limits to fund public safety and social services.
Tucson's Mayor and City Council are calling it The Safe and Vibrant City ballot measure, but some Tucsonans say voting 'yes' on prop 414 will do more harm than good.
They're part of a group advocating for Tucsonans to vote against the measure, called the 'No Prop 414' Coalition.
April Putney is part of that coalition. She says they're voting 'no' to make room for a different investment package that prioritizes housing.
“This added tax will affect people’s abilities to stay in their homes," she said. "We do not believe that the amount given in this tax budget allocation for housing and services will be enough to meet the current need, let alone offset the added burden.”
The added half-cent tax would bring Tucson's sales tax rate to 9.2%, above the state average rate of 8.1%. Putney says that harms those already struggling financially.
“[People are] already having to choose between groceries and rent," she said. "They’re having to choose to turn on the AC in the summer or to just let it be hot because they can’t afford to meet their commitments.”
Tucson's mayor and members of the city council have spent the past few months advocating in favor of the proposition, with Vice Mayor and Ward One Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz writing an Op-Ed in support of the proposition Feb. 1.
Santa Cruz says the existing services that people want to see more of—like housing assistance— are in danger of being cut without Prop 414 due to lack of funding.
“The programs and the services and the resources that have been in place for the last five years will no longer be available if there’s not a way to pay for them," Santa Cruz said. "That is the reality right now.”
Those are services Santa Cruz says can't fit into the city's budget which has seen a fall in funding from the state after former Governor Doug Ducey's 2.5% flat tax rate took effect in 2021.
“I agree that having sales taxes is a regressive tax," Santa Cruz said. "But when the state continues to decide to cut taxes for the rich and put the burden on the people who work the hardest and our working families, it puts us in a difficult position."
No matter the result of the Special Election in March, Putney says she and the 'No Prop 414' Coalition's fight for housing availability and affordability isn't over.
“We still need further solutions to invest in the community to really make it safe for all people,” she said.
Early voting for the Special Election starts Feb. 12, and the deadline to register is Feb. 10.
