Light rail, streetcar focus of proposed Phoenix sales tax

Light-rail expansion, a downtown streetcar and improvements to make public transportation more convenient and comfortable are on a more than $30 billion transportation wish list developed by Phoenix leaders — and city taxpayers may soon be asked whether to fund it.

Months of work have gone into developing the 30-year plan of projects and services that could be funded by extending and nearly doubling a current sales tax. The plan received a recommendation this week from the Citizens Committee on the Future of Phoenix Transportation and will go to the City Council later this month.

Voters may be asked to approve the tax — or a modified version of it — as soon as August, based on the council's action.

The plan comes as Phoenix's current transit tax, known as Transit 2000, is set to expire in 2020. The 0.40 percent sales tax — or $0.40 on a $100 purchase — was approved by voters in 2000 and largely funds the city's bus and light-rail services. The committee recommended a new tax rate of 0.75 percent.

"It's a whole new plan and a whole new way of looking at Phoenix as a world-class transportation city," said Matthew Heil, spokesman for the Public Transit Department.

Transit 2000 provided significant funding for light-rail construction. It also pays for more than half of the Public Transit Department's operating budget to run services like local bus routes, RAPID buses, neighborhood circulators, Dial-A-Ride and light rail.

But it hasn't been able to meet all of its goals.

Local and federal funding for the plan dipped below original projections, leaving the program about $1 billion short of its expected revenue by 2020, according to the city. The majority of that comes from the estimate that revenue raised by the sales tax will fall about $800 million short of the projected $2.9 billion.

Other money for public transit in Phoenix comes from Proposition 400 — the county's transportation tax that expires in 2025 — and federal grants that often require local funding. Voters could be asked to approve an extension of the Prop. 400 tax as soon as 2020.

Valley cities including Tempe, Mesa, Glendale and Peoria also fund transit and transportation through local taxes.

Shortfalls in Transit 2000 are a reality the city attributes to two economic recessions that lessened consumer spending since the tax was passed.

The planned construction of 31 miles of light rail will actually be around 16 to 20 miles by 2020. Local bus routes run from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. — not midnight, like the plan intended.

By 2020, an estimated 380 bus bays will be carved into the streets to help the flow of traffic. That falls short of the anticipated 500 new bus bays.

Though voters approved the initiatives, long-term transportation plans aren't static, Heil said. They change based on needs and funding.

"The real promise comes in when we're building what we're paid to build and running what we're paid to run," he said.

Approval of a new tax could help fund some of these shortfalls, as well as other priorities that have emerged since Transit 2000 was passed. The plan could be implemented almost immediately, replacing the current tax, Deputy City Manager Rick Naimark said.

The committee voted Monday to recommend that the new transportation tax be permanent, with the ability for the mayor and council to reduce it if other funding becomes available. If it's not permanent, the tax needs to be in place at least 30 years, according to the recommendation, and include an oversight committee.

The expiration of the current tax without some type of extension would lead to an estimated 60 percent reduction in bus and light rail service, according to the city, and the halting of plans for 23 new miles of light rail.

"There would be no way to pay for those services," Heil said.

The new plan doesn't delineate exactly where each dollar would go and when, but rather prioritizes improvements with estimated costs.

Connecting existing light rail to the Capitol could cost about $315 million, for example. Providing late-night and early morning bus service would cost $1.8 billion over the course of the 30-year plan.

About 18 miles of light rail already approved by the City Council could be funded for connections near the Capitol, 79th Avenue, Baseline Road and Metrocenter Mall.

Plans could start for more than 30 more miles of high capacity transit in areas near Grand Canyon University, Paradise Valley Mall and downtown Phoenix, among others.

Shade structures could be added to all city bus stops while other proposed infrastructure improvements include installing a system that would allow riders to add money on fare cards.

And while Transit 2000 provides a minimal amount of funding for street-related improvements, the city's Street Transportation Department could gain more than $2 billion in funding under the new plan. New bike lanes and sidewalks are among the priorities.

"For the first time, we're looking at money that could go beyond bus bays," said Monica Hernandez, spokeswoman for the Street Transportation Department.

The city is still collecting public feedback on its plan until the council makes its decision, Heil said. A survey is available at www.talktransportation.org.

What could a new sales tax for transportation fund?

- All of the city's current services.

- New RAPID and circulator bus services.

- Light-rail routes that are already approved, including connecting current lines to Metrocenter Mall and the Capitol

- New transit connections, including connecting Metrocenter Mall to ASU West.

- Shaded bus stops for heat protection.

- Reloadable cards to pay your fare.

- Accessibility and security improvements.

- Street improvements.