The city needs money.
Things are falling apart, and the current mix of taxes and fees just isn't getting the job done.
One place to get more cash, officials are thinking, might be to ask voters and taxpayers to kick in a little extra, to the tune of $100 million to $200 million.
Even that would just be a ripple in the water, compared with the $1.2 billion in unmet needs a recent city analysis found.
The biggest drain on the community's financial well-being: transportation.
For years, the state Legislature has skimmed away the Highway User Revenue Fund and other money that local governments rely on to repair roads and infrastructure, leaving many cities and counties impotent to respond as their roads deteriorate from neglect.
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Tucson figures it has $837 million in unfunded transportation costs, mostly in road repairs, that have resulted in countless potholes and frustrated drivers.
That's why, when the mayor and City Council appointed Richard Miranda as city manager, they made roads one of his top priorities.
"I was to come up with some short-term and long-term resolutions to deal with the repair of our streets," Miranda said. "For the short term, we came up with about $20 million to deal with some immediate repairs ... which will take care of the fiscal allotment for 2013. But after that there was no funding in place to deal with any kind of future remedies."
One option is to put a general-obligation bond election - the first one in over a decade - on November's ballot. But before they do that, they want to first hear from Tucsonans.
"I strongly believe Tucson cannot continue to rely on the state or anyone else," said Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. "We need to be able to provide for ourselves."
So on Tuesday, Rothschild and the council will ask the public for advice on whether to move forward with a bond election or scrap the idea.
"I support the concept of putting it out to the voters to see if they want to invest in the city," Councilwoman Regina Romero said, adding that a revitalized city begins with a strong infrastructure. "Because I believe public infrastructure leverages private investment … and I think it would be good for the economy to have the city spending money."
The bonds, if they were staggered in $20 million annual increments, would cost the owner of a $100,000 house around $18 a year, the city figures.
"That would be like four Starbucks coffees," said Romero, who fears the bond amounts won't satisfy all of the city's obligations.
"Twenty million dollars is a start and that's good, but we don't know if it's going to take care of the needs that we have. So I think we will need more funds to be able to do much more in the community."
Romero also sees this as a good opportunity to re-imagine transportation in Tucson.
"I want to make sure our plans for fixing the roads are done in the right way," she said. "We've been building roads for a long time and now we should be looking at a multimodal approach."
Romero said she would include numerous bicycle and pedestrian enhancements in addition to improvements to assist the free flow of buses.
"If we are doing it, we should do it correctly," she said. "It's better to have quality, as opposed to lots and lots of pothole repair."
And to pay off the bond debt, city Finance Director Kelly Gottschalk said city staff is recommending a 20-year term so the city can balance out the payments.
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"I strongly believe Tucson cannot continue to rely on the state or anyone else. We need to be able to provide for ourselves."
Jonathan Rothschild, mayor
If you go:
• What: Public hearing on whether the city should seek voter approval of up to $200 million in bonds.
• When: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday
• Where: City Council Chambers, 255 W. Alameda.
Contact reporter Darren DaRonco at ddaronco@azstarnet.com or 573-4243.