As we ring in the New Year, I’m taking this opportunity to partner with Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy to call your attention to the upcoming Special Election. We’re both residents of Pima County, who also happen to be elected public officials, and we have more than a professional interest in seeing the RTA Next plan pass with your approval in March. As past Chairs of the RTA Board, both of us have been significantly involved, not only in the administration of the original 2006 RTA Plan, but in that plan’s creation as well.
Further, we both have seen the regional benefits of the current RTA Plan in economic development and quality of life for all of us. No matter where you live or work in Pima County, at some point you have utilized and experienced why the RTA Plan has been such an overwhelming success. That is why we believe the passage of RTA Next is so critical and essential to every resident of Vail, Corona del Tucson, and the Southeast Region. Here are some important reasons why:
• Better road conditions and safer travel. Propositions 418 and 419 fund improvements to major corridors like Colossal Cave Road, along with pavement repairs where they are needed most, intersection upgrades, and safety improvements across the region. These are the roads people rely on every day to get to work, medical appointments, and local businesses.
• Regional solutions that work locally. Transportation doesn’t stop at city limits. A regional approach means smoother travel throughout Pima County, less congestion, and more reliable access to jobs, services, and commerce.
• Continued transit services. About $30 million per year supports services like Sun Shuttle paratransit and dial-a-ride—critical lifelines for seniors, people with disabilities, and rural residents. There is no other identified funding source to replace these services if these propositions fail.
• Shared costs, not new burdens. Because the funding comes from a sales tax, everyone contributes—including visitors and seasonal residents—helping reduce pressure on property taxes.
• Economic returns. Over 20 years, Propositions 418 and 419 are projected to support more than 48,000 permanent jobs and generate over $3.7 billion in economic benefits. Improved transportation corridors attract visitors, new residents, retail, office, medical, restaurant, and hospitality businesses—bringing services closer to home, expanding the local tax base, and enhancing overall quality of life in the Southeast Region of District 4, and across Pima County.
RTA Next will provide a dedicated, locked-in source of revenue, directed for one purpose only: Regional Transportation improvements. That fact cannot be changed, diverted or reversed in any way.
As Pima County Supervisor and Sahuarita Mayor, we are urging you to vote in favor of both Propositions 418 and 419 so we have the ability to continuously improve and enhance our regional transportation system to meet the productive growth and prosperity in most desirable region in Pima County.
Pima County District 4 Supervisor Steve Christy is a former member of the RTA Board and Sahuarita Mayor Tom Murphy currently serves on the RTA Board.
Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy, District 4
33 N. Stone Avenue, Floor 11
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-724-8094
district4@pima.gov
