Early results in the Proposition 414 special election show a wide margin of 'No' votes over 'Yes' votes, with more than 69% of voters casting ballots against the city's proposed sales tax increase.
Numbers from the City Clerk's office:
As the unofficial results were released around 8:00 p.m., the energy seemed to drain out of the Tucson Fire Fighters Association hall on Tucson's Westside.
The room was full of members from that union, representatives from the Tucson Police Officers Association, the mayor, city council members and a few people from the Pima County Democratic Party. Many had spent the past few months campaigning for a 'yes' vote on the proposition.
City representatives said they needed the funding from this tax to make up for a loss in funding from an income tax cut in 2023.
The proposition asked voters to say 'yes' to a half-cent, or half a percentage, hike in the sales tax to fund services sorted into five different categories:
- Capital Investment for First Responders 31.75% $24,600,000
- Enhanced Emergency Response 22.75% $18,200,000
- Affordable Housing and Shelter 17.5% $14,000,000
- Neighborhood and Community Resilience 16.75% $13,400,000
- Technology Investments 12.25% $9,800,000
Source: City of Tucson
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The city estimated that would make about $80 million a year over a ten-year period.
The hike would've take sales tax in Tucson from 8.7 percent to 9.2 percent, which is why some Tucsonans were celebrating the 'no' win.
Tucson Metro Chamber released a statement from their President & CEO Michael Guymon, calling the victory a" stand for fiscal responsibility.”
"Tucsonans rejected the notion that the only solution is higher taxes on small businesses and working families," It continued. "Now, we move forward—together—to push for real solutions that strengthen public safety, tackle homelessness, and ensure our city’s future.”
Another group that saw the special election's result as a win, the 'No Prop 414' Coalition state said in part, "if they are going to ask working families in Tucson to pay higher taxes, they must allocate tax revenues to programs and services that actually benefit Tucsonans," citing housing and services, mental health resources, better education and public transit as some of them.
"We encourage the city to continue seeking local revenue streams to fund housing and services, without resorting to further regressive taxes and work with us to ensure resources go towards care rather than criminalization,” it continued.
Executive Director of the Pima County Democratic Party Alex Kack says that as Tucson grows, the city needs to find a way to fund that growth.
"The reality is, increasing our cities services as our city is growing can only be a positive." Kack said. "Tucson is a place that people want to be— and they should want to be here— We need to fund it accordingly.”
Mayor Romero said she and the council will head back to the drawing board to figure out how to get a new source of funding.
City leaders have begun the process of creating the FY2026 budget in the March 18 study session. Romero encouraged those who ran the 'no' campaign to come out to the meeting and share what they see as a solution.
"Come Tuesday, we're going to be sitting at the study session, finally talking about the budget for [2026-2027]," Romero said. "We want to hear the solutions that you have for our community."
A spokesperson for the city of Tucson says the city still needs to count the ballots turned in on March 11, and they plan to have the final vote count released Monday evening.
ORIGINAL STORY:
Tuesday, March 11 is Election Day for Tucson voters, who will be deciding whether to approve Proposition 414, an extra half-cent sales tax the city says will help fund a number of public safety-related programs.
While it's too late to mail in your ballot, you can still drop ballots off at any of these six voting centers between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m:
- Department of Housing and Community Development, 310 N. Commerce Park Loop
- Morris K. Udall Regional Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road
- Donna R. Liggins Recreation Center, 2160 N. 6th Ave.
- William Clements Recreation Center, 8155 E. Poinciana Dr.
- El Pueblo Senior Center, 101 W. Irvington Road
- Parks and Recreation Administration at Randolph Park, 900 S. Randolph Way
Voters who did not receive or have misplaced their ballots can also get a replacement ballot at the six vote centers for in-person voting. Completed ballots can also be dropped off at the following locations up until 7 p.m:
- Tucson City Clerk Elections Center, 800 E. 12th St.
- Pima County Recorder - Elections Department, 6550 S. Country Club Road
