The ordinance that created Proposition 411, the sales tax extension for roads, contains the following sentence.
If any unforeseen circumstances or extraordinary considerations of the public interest or necessity make a change from the previously approved allocations necessary, any such change must be approved by a majority vote of the Mayor and Council after a public hearing is held on the matter.
In other words, while we are promised that 80% of the funds will be used for road repair and 20% will be used for things like bike lanes, the Mayor and Council have the ability to change those distributions.
This language never appeared in the original ordinance that initially created this sales tax five years ago, nor does the city’s voter guide provide this information. The voters deserve to know why.
Colette Altaffer
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Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
