Tucson Proposition 414: Some balk at proposed tax hike's law enforcement funding, police plane

Yahoo

07-02-2025

Some Tucson residents appear wary of a March ballot measure that would create a half-cent sales tax increase for 10 years with the bulk of the funding going toward public safety initiatives.
Proposition 414, the Safe & Vibrant City ballot measure, will ask Tucsonans to vote on raising the city's sales tax to 3.1% during an all-mail special election on March 11. Ballots are slated to begin being mailed out Wednesday.
The tax is projected to generate $800 million over 10 years. Two-thirds of the funding would be allocated to public safety while the remainder would go toward community investments like public housing and critical programs.
If Proposition 414 passes, a citizens' commission will be appointed to oversee the expenditures.
City officials say the tax will help fund critical services following a statewide change in income tax policy that decreased the money the city receives from the state.
Councilmember Lane Santa Cruz wrote an opinion piece in the Tucson Sentinel about her support for the ballot measure. She said Proposition 414 isn't a 'golden ticket,' but is necessary to expand many of the city's critical programs. She explained Tucson has relied on one-time pandemic relief funds and competitive grants to establish services provided by housing navigators, community service officers, 311 and crisis response teams.
Santa Cruz acknowledged opposition to the measure and said she has concerns about the level of funding it would provide for police and fire departments. But she added the percentage breakdown was a 'necessary compromise,' noting how expensive policing and fire management has become.
'This is part of a bigger strategy: we start by securing funding for critical services now, and over time, we flip the script — prioritizing proven alternatives to policing that keep people out of crisis in the first place,' she wrote.
However, critics say that more tax revenue should be allocated to housing and city programs, not law enforcement. Members of the public this week told the Tucson council they want the city to work with community groups on a budget to fund 'real' solutions.
'We know that data proves it's not policing and surveillance. It's housing, it's social services, it's mental and health care,' Lee Ziesche said about solving Tucson's housing crisis and homelessness issue.
Of the revenue projected to be brought in by the tax, $52 million will go toward police and fire departments annually. That's about two-thirds of the tax revenue.
The funding would help efforts to enhance emergency response, support technology investments and pay for capital investments.
Some of the key programs the tax increase would support include:
Allocating $8 million to add more sworn officers and non-sworn community service officers and detectives.
Putting $1.3 million toward expanding the city's Community Safety Awareness and Response Center, a network of public and private cameras and automated license plate readers that are viewable through a video management system. The city said this center improves real-time crime detection and management of limited community safety resources. The funds would hire 10 staff and support technology upgrades over time.
Allocating $1.5 million to add more 911 and 311 operators.
Providing $7 million for the Tucson Fire Department to build out an additional hazmat team and a ladder company and add more fire department staffing.
The proposal would also send millions to first responders for things like body-worn cameras, patrol and non-patrol vehicles and protective equipment. It would fund efforts to modernize some fire and police stations and build new ones in underserved areas.
It would also support the purchase of a $16.7 million fixed-wing aircraft for surveillance support and funding to maintain Tucson's police helicopters.
A portion of the revenue, 17.5%, would go to helping with Tucson's housing crisis. The proposal would send $14 million to efforts supporting affordable housing and shelters. That includes funds for the city's Housing First program, the development of low-barrier shelters, down payment assistance and more.
Funds would also help build affordable workforce housing and improve and upgrade city-owned low-income housing. Additional funding would help homeowners upgrade their dwellings, including HVAC improvements, weatherization, roof repairs, plumbing, electric vehicle charging equipment and more.
Another 16.7% of the annual tax revenue would be used for community and justice-related programs. That would allocate $13.4 million a year to develop a justice transition center and a sobering alternative facility, operate a mobile court and upgrade the city court. It would also provide funds to conduct violence reduction interventions, connecting impacted communities with resources needed to interrupt crime networks. It would include another $2.6 million to add 40 more community service officers.
Funds will also go toward supporting care coordinators and navigators who work in communities with high rates of violence and gun crimes, delivering education and services.
Other funds will go toward adding shade shelters on bus stops, workforce development, early childhood education programs, urban forest maintenance and other community programs.
Critics say too much revenue would go toward police and surveillance, and more should be allocated to public housing and services.
At a city council work session, Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmar addressed concerns focused on the surveillance plane. He said the plane would be used to curb criminal driving behavior and prevent high-speed chases. The city currently uses Pima County's assets to address the issue, he said.
Kasmar's pitch came during the Tuesday city council work session, which was followed by a regular meeting in which members of the public voiced their concerns about Proposition 414.
Ziesche, a community member who spoke at the meeting, said she was concerned the police plane would be used against protesters and vulnerable populations.
'I am incredibly concerned that a large percentage of this sales tax — millions and millions of dollars — will go to increased surveillance and policing through CSAR and for a $16.7 million police plane,' Ziesche said.
A grassroots group against the ballot measure called the No on Prop 414 Coalition was also at the meeting. April Putney, a member of the group, said she wants the city to add more funding to "starved" departments like Housing and Community Development. She said Proposition 414 does not "truly" address the city's current needs.
"Prop 414 housing and shelter allocations are like bailing out the Titanic with a teacup," Putney said. "They are not enough to offset the added burden this tax will impose on the poor who are already having to choose between groceries and rent due to skyrocketing costs."
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucson Prop. 414: Some balk at law enforcement funding, police plane