Earlier this week, the Republican legislators working to prevent the renewal of Maricopa County’s Proposition 400 half-cent transportation sales tax passed a bill with several partisan priorities included, such as eliminating a light rail extension to the state capitol, among others, and sent it to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs, who will veto it.
Hoping to end the stalemate and advance the measure to voters, six Valley mayors issued a letter in which they planned to find “another avenue” to bring the question to voters next year if there is no solution reached before then. Other leaders later signaled their support.
The mayors who signed the initial letter were:
- Kate Gallego, Phoenix,
- John Giles, Mesa,
- Corey Woods, Tempe,
- Kevin Hartke, Chandler,
- Brigette Peterson, Gilbert, and
- Kenn Weise, Avondale.
The letter says, in part, “”We are unalterably opposed to their plan, and if no solution is reached, we will have no choice but to pursue another avenue to get this before voters in 2024.”
A bill to send Prop 400’s renewal to voters last year was vetoed by then-Governor Doug Ducey. That bill had been supported by all 32 mayors and other leaders making up the Maricopa Association of Governments.
In a prepared statement, Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chairman Clint Hickman and Vice Chairman Jack Sellers said, “We are united. Legislators and the Governor must give the people of Maricopa County the ability to vote on a Prop 400 extension, one that maintains the support of all local mayors which was built over years of research, discussion and compromise.”
One option the mayoral coalition and other supporters have to get the renewal to the ballot without approval from the Legislature would be to collect enough petition signatures from residents to quality the question for a public vote. Such measures require a high number of signatures to qualify, but successful petition-based ballot measures are not unprecedented. (Source)