Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the largest MSA within the Southwest Region. It includes the cities of Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa, and is comprised of Maricopa and Pinal counties.

Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) developed a regional transportation plan to extend the half-cent Maricopa County excise tax for transportation. The plan, known as Proposition 400, was approved by voters in 2004. The extension, which began in January 2006 expires in December 2025. The Proposition 400 sales tax provides funding for freeways and state highways (56%), public transportation (33%), and improvements for arterial streets (10.5%).

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) in Pinal County was established in 2015 by the Pinal County Board of Supervisors as a taxing subdivision for transportation planning, funding, and improvement coordination. The Regional Transportation Plan, known as Proposition 416, was adopted in June 2017 and approved by voters in November 2017 to also enact funding for the plan through an excise tax. However, the structure of the tax was challenged in a 2018 lawsuit and ruled invalid by the Arizona Supreme Court in March 2022, so implementation of the Plan has not yet begun.

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