Maricopa County Leaders and State Legislators are Furious with Doug Ducey’s Veto of a Vital Infrastructure Bill

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On the day Governor Doug Ducey, to great cheers, signed the bipartisan water legislation, he ruined the kumbaya moment by vetoing another bipartisan piece of legislation: HB2685 which would have authorized voters to choose whether to approve a half cent sales tax extension of Proposition 400 that would have funded close to $40 billion in transportation infrastructure improvements in Maricopa County.

HB 2685 veto letter

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This measure had the support of most of the members in the Arizona Legislature and, according to reporting from AZ Central, all the city and town Mayors of Maricopa County, both Republican and Democrat.

The AZ Central piece also reports that lobbying groups thought this measure would pass after agreeing with the Governors office to help persuade lawmakers to support the budget and water bills.

In his letter explaining his position, Mr. Ducey cited several justifications for issuing the veto. These included:

  • The current high inflation rates that the Governor says is too much for tax payers to contribute half a penny for every dollar in revenues.
  • Claims that HB2685  is not responsible and transparent.
  • Possible low voter turnout in the special 2023 election instead of having it in 2024.
  • In his view, discrepancies in the voter pamphlet description of the measure.
  • Setting the tax measure to expire in 25 years instead of 20 as it was before.
  • The ability for local governments to apply for bipartisan federal Infrastructure dollars.
  • Not listening to amendment suggestions from State Senator Michelle Ugenti Rita.
  • Arizona, in its current budget, is already allocating one billion dollars to transportation infrastructure projects while also reducing taxes.

The last time I looked, $38 billion is $37 billion more than one.

Suffice it to say, a bipartisan group of leaders in Maricopa County were furious with the Governor’s veto of the bipartisan HB2685.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego strongly condemns the Ducey veto.

Within minutes of hearing of the Governor’s veto, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego sharply condemned Mr. Ducey’s move, posting on social media:

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego

In remarks to Blog for Arizona, Mayor Gallego stressed:

“The existing half-cent transportation tax is specific to cities and towns in Maricopa County, and was voter approved. The vetoed legislation would have extended that tax. The action takes away the right of voters in Maricopa County to have a say in future transportation investment.”

When asked to comment on the merits of what Doug Ducey said in his veto letter, Mayor Gallego stated:

“The Governor is nit-picking. This is not a new tax. The bill he vetoed simply proposed the extension of an existing tax, and would have placed the decision in the hands of the people of Maricopa County. The governor is treating our voters like children, rather than affording us the opportunity to make our own decisions.

The excuses the governor puts forth in his veto letter are strained, at best. None of these concerns were shared by the governor’s office during the past few years of forming the legislation.

This proposal had the support of every mayor (Republican and Democrat) in the greater Phoenix metro area, and of tribal leaders in Maricopa County. This formidable group put years of work into this bipartisan, sustainable, proposal. It also had strong bipartisan support of Arizona House and Senate leaders.”

Mayor Gallego also relayed that several Phoenix Infrastructure projects will be impacted. These include:

“The light rail that now joins Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa is one result of the original Proposition 400. Similarly, Prop 400 funding has supported Bus Rapid Transit, road improvements, and bicycle and pedestrian safety enhancements.

While Proposition 400 dollars contributed to those projects, many also relied on matching federal funding. The governor’s veto will significantly hamper Phoenix’s ability to compete for federal grants, including opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law/Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).”

Moving forward from the damage caused by the Governor’s veto, the Mayor wrote:

“Cities have identified over $90 billion in project needs. The Prop 400 extension – had it been allowed to come to the ballot – would have generated an estimated $36 billion over the next 25 years.

Now that the governor has single-handedly destroyed that opportunity, we must now look at other ways move this measure to the ballot. Cities are resilient and will be working collaboratively to identify next steps and new paths forward.

As the nation’s fastest growing large metro area, there’s no other option but to meet the needs of the greater community.

We will find a way to empower the voters of Maricopa County to have their say.”

Other Maricopa County Leaders strongly criticized Mr. Ducey’s veto.

Mesa Mayor John Giles also rebuked the Governors video in a series of his own social media posts, offering:

Tempe Mayor Corey Woods commented:

“I am tremendously disappointed in the Governor’s veto of HB2685, the Prop 400E authorization. This was truly bipartisan legislation that was simply referring this matter to the voters so they could weigh in on our region’s transportation future.  The extension of this tax is desperately needed to keep up with expansion demands for safe roads and highways, now and in the future.”

Chandler State Representative Jennifer Pawlik offered:

“We have a 1/2 cent transportation tax in Maricopa County that is used to maintain and build our roads. There was a bill to extend (not increase) the tax another 20 years. We didn’t have the 2/3 votes to refer the bill to the voters this fall, so we passed it with a simple majority, which would have allowed voters to have a say in a special election next spring. Today, the governor vetoed the bill.
In conversations with East Valley elected officials, chambers and other business groups, the extension was supported widely with some concerns about light rail. This veto is very disappointing. I don’t know what the next steps will be. I do know that we need well maintained, modern roads if we wish to have a strong economy.
(Maricopa County is the only county in the state that has to seek approval of the legislature before referring a tax extension to its voters.)”

Phoenix State Representative Richard Andrade, in a press release from the Arizona House Democrats wrote:

“Governor Ducey’s reasoning for vetoing this important bill was disingenuous and purely political – giving voters the opportunity to extend a sales tax that has been addressing our community’s growth for 37 years is not a tax increase. The voters in Maricopa County would have made the decision up or down to fund their roads, transit system and light rail, but that right to vote for our transportation infrastructure, and all the hard work by bi-partisan mayors, lawmakers, and stakeholders, was thrown away by the Governor’s political self-interest. The budget we passed has funding for several specific projects but will do little to address Maricopa County’s overall transportation needs, especially in the West Valley and Buckeye where we are growing rapidly. We must come back with this plan and a new governor in the next session to give the people their voice for their future.”

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