Funding for the 20-year, $13.1B transportation master plan Move Tucson will rely heaving on voter approvals and federal grants.
The plan was created to demonstrate Tucson’s needs, not as an actual project improvement plan.
City leaders set the more realistic goal of increasing transportation funds by $128M/year, a 50% increase beyond the current funding level and a number that would allow for many of the highest priority projects.
In a recent Tucson City Council meeting, officials made clear voter approvals will determine the plan’s ultimate viability. Even if voters approve the plan, a minimum of $100M in grant money will be needed to reach program goals over the next two decades.
Planned funding sources include the Highway User Revenue Fund. For the last two years, Tucson has received approximately $6M a year in HURF funds. After 2023, the amount should increase to $11M.
General fund monies totaling $14M were also directed toward road repair. City officials expect to spend general fund resources on roads for the next five years or more.
Proposition 101, a half-cent sales tax in place since 2017, is up for voter renewal in May. If funds continue to be split as they currently are between roads and public safety, there will only be an extra $10M/year for road work, whereas $50M/year would be available if all the funds were given to transportation.
City officials will decide this month whether or not to increase the renewal request to a full cent.
Another funding source that remains in question is the Regional Transportation Authority. Several disputes between Tucson and the RTA have led the City to threaten to withdraw unless there are significant program changes.
If RTA funding is lost, the full-cent tax would serve as the City’s backup plan.
The final course of action must be decided before the February 1st deadline to put Prop 101 on the ballot.
No matter how the other funding sources form up, the yearly shortfall would have to be made up from as-yet-unidentified federal grants, none of which would be a certainty. (Source)