Another election year and another transportation-related sales tax vote loom for Pinal County in 2024. Officials want residents to start thinking about it as they drive over some of the area’s rough roads, whether they’re paved roads that need repairs or unpaved roads that should be paved.
The county’s Transportation Improvement and Maintenance Program is funded by a half-cent sales tax sometimes known as the “pothole tax,” approved by voters in 1986 and 2005. It pays for paving, pavement preservation, dust control and safety improvements on roads in cities and towns along with unincorporated areas.
Projects are prioritized and scheduled by a transportation advisory committee and residents are encouraged to submit improvement requests for consideration at www.pinal.gov/848/Project-Request-Form.
The tax, which the county says raises $10 million to $15 million annually for work on existing roads, is due to expire in 2026. A measure to extend it another 20 years is expected to be on the November 2024 ballot. This is a different levy than that for Proposition 469, which would have collected another half-cent sales tax to build and expand major roads and highways. It was rejected by county voters in November 2022.
The county’s other major funding sources for road maintenance and repair are state-shared revenue from the Highway Users Revenue Fund and vehicle license taxes.
