Phoenix Prop. 104 transit plan: What happens now?

Phoenix voters passed Proposition 104 Tuesday, a $31.5 billion, 35-year transportation plan to fund light-rail expansion, bus service increases and street improvements.

The results are still unofficial, but transit leaders already are preparing the next steps. Phoenix officials and community groups will gather this morning to celebrate the measure and explain what's to come.

Some of the earliest impacts residents could see:

1. More Phoenix police officers this year

About $16 million of city funding will be diverted to the Police Department to hire new officers. The Public Transit Department already planned for the potential shift in its budget for this fiscal year, according to spokesman Matthew Heil. That means the funding shift can take place in time for the September police recruit class, Heil said. The money could hire an additional 125 police officers this fiscal year, according to a plan given to the City Council in February.

2. A higher sales tax starting Jan. 1

Prop. 104 will raise the city's current tax for transit from 0.4 percent to 0.7 percent until 2050. The city's total sales tax will increase to 8.6 percent. Purchases more than $10,000 are excluded from the increased rate.

​3 . Shadier bus stops and longer operating hours

People will see some part of the plan executed more quickly than others. New light-rail routes take years of planning and construction. But adding shade structures is one of the first changes that voters might see, Heil said. Extending the hours of operation for buses will be another early improvement, he said, with the first opportunity to change service hours coming in April. That would be a systemwide upgrade, with increased frequency based on individual route demand.

4. A diverse oversight committee

A citizens oversight committee needs to be established to implement the transit plan, Heil said. Transit leaders expect to address the City Council at an early September meeting to outline the shape and structure of the committee — including the number of members, how long they are appointed and which groups, such as advocates for people with disabilities, are represented. The City Council approves those appointments. The committee is charged with reviewing spending and priorities.

5. Requests for residents' feedback

The city must decide what changes should come first. Sales-tax revenue won't come in all at once, and changes could come with construction costs or long-term operating costs. Transportation leaders will solicit feedback on plan priorities and changes in bus service, Heil said. The Public Transit Department also will be working on the best way to keep the community updated on Prop. 104's implementation, he said.

Editor's note: This story originally published on Aug. 26, 2015, and was updated Feb. 8, 2017, to reflect that $31.5 billion is the amount of the total plan.