From: "Friends of Transit" To: Subject: Tribune article - House panel OKs bill calling for May 18 election Date: Thursday, January 22, 2004 11:04 AM > House panel OKs bill calling for May 18 election > > > By LE TEMPLAR TRIBUNE > > State lawmakers started moving Monday on a proposal for a May 18 election > related to renewing Maricopa County's half-cent sales tax for regional > transportation planning. > > The House Transportation Committee voted 11-0 to approve HB2456, > sponsored by Rep. Gary Pierce, RMesa. The bill would present a single ballot > question to county voters on whether to approve the tax for another 20 > years. A "yes" vo te would support a $15.8 billion spending package for > highway construction, major street improvements and public transit including > buses and light rail. > > The House committee also rejected two competing bills: One would have > required voters to consider light-rail funding separately, and the other > would have delayed the public vote until the Nov. 2 general election. > > But the plan still must be approved by two-thirds of the full House and > the state Senate in order to become law by a Feb. 3 deadline. Another > crucial test comes today when companion legislation is scheduled to be heard > in the Senate Natural Resources and Transportation Committee. Plan > supporters are expecting their toughest fight in the Senate, where > light-rail opponents hold more sway. > > Monday's vote came during the transportation committee's regular Monday > meeting. The Legislature does not recognize the Martin Luther King Jr. > holiday. > > The unanimous action followed ringing endorsements from Valley cities, > county officials and business groups that are expected to put up at least > $1.5 million for an election campaign. Mesa Mayor Keno Hawker told the > committee he came to back the plan only after supporters added independent > audits every five years on individual projects, and included language that > would make it more difficult for future political pressure to change which > projects would be funded. > > "Not everyone got everything what they wanted," Hawker said. "(But) I > think we have this thing pretty well packaged." > > Pierce has worked on the sales-tax issue for more than two years, trying > to bridge competing interests across the Valley in an attempt to present an > unified front to voters. Phoenix and Tempe have suggested they would pull > out of the plan if light-rail funding is presented to voters separately, > while officials in the East and West valleys have pushed for a higher share > of the available tax dollars. > > "I'm very pleased with today's outcome," Pierce said. "It wasn't a pretty > process. But at the same time, we've come up with something that a lot of > folks have worked hard (on) and we agree on." > > But opponents of light rail said they will continue trying to add > amendments that would give voters a separate choice on that issue. > > Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, proposed a bill that would have voters > consider light-rail funding sometime after 2010, when the first 20 miles of > light rail has been in operation from northwest Phoenix through Tempe and > into Mesa for at least four years. The three cities plan to build the Valley > 's first light-rail segment with only $160 million from the county half-cent > sales tax, while nearly $1 billion would come from local tax dollars and > federal matching grants. > > "The best performance measure you have is to let people vote on it after > they see what the reality is," Biggs said. "Everything else in the transit > bill, with the exception of light rail, we have track records of in this > Valley. I just think if you're going to spend $2 billion on something, it > wouldn't hurt to wait, to let people see how that first 20 miles runs." > > Transportation Committee member Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, wasn't present for > the vote on HB2456. But Gray later offered a bill calling for a November > election on the halfcent tax plan with a separate ballot question for light > rail. > > Debate lasted more than four hours Monday as supporters argued the plan > must include light rail to work, and the election should be in May so > project designs can begin immediately if the plan passes. > > Maricopa 2020, the committee created to lead the election campaign, > released private polling numbers showing light rail is the issue most likely > to win over voters who are uncertain whether to support the plan. > > "That says we can't really separate light rail and freeways," Tempe Mayor > Neil Giuliano said. "The support we have in the region for both is critical. > If you take away one support group from the other support group, we really > could risk the entire plan . . . not being approved." > > Supporters also warned no one knows if the package would comply with > federal air quality standards if lawmakers or voters remove light-rail > funding. The Maricopa Association of Governments has studied no alternatives > and failure to meet the federal standards could result in the loss of > federal highway construction funding. > > "It's not worth the risk," said Marty Schultz, a lobbyist for Arizona > Public Service and a member of committee that crafted the transportation > plan. > > > > >