Developing a regional transportation plan is no simple task. The Regional Transportation Authority is carrying out a voter-approved plan for 20 years of transportation infrastructure and transit service improvements.
Members of the RTA’s Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) are working on a second RTA plan to identify a slate of projects that will continue beyond June 2026, when the current RTA plan and tax to fund it will expire.
The process to draft the next Regional Transportation Authority plan involves time to prepare a proposal that citizens in the greater Tucson region ultimately will support at a future election. The committee is asked to think regionally about which projects are worthy investments for the future economic vitality of the region.
“It’s so important to remember our role on the committee is to provide transportation infrastructure for everyone in our community. Not just for our individual needs. It is a daunting task, but it is an important one,” said Ted Maxwell, CAC committee member.
The process to develop a draft plan is in full swing. Projects are still being submitted by the local jurisdictions for the committee’s consideration. Pima County residents can continue to share their input on transportation priorities at RTAnext.com.
The public will have plenty of opportunity to weigh in once a draft plan is ready for review.
“At the core of the 2006 plan development, which was foundational, was making sure the public could give us their feedback on the draft plan as part of a transparent process, so they knew they would have a say before the draft was presented at an election,” said Rick Myers, co-chair of the 2005 RTA CAC. “And it worked. Plus, regional collaboration from RTA Board members was necessary for the public to see we were working in unison for a common goal and that our focus was on understanding what the public would support vs. what we assumed were priorities in the minds of those future voters.”
The RTA’s tax revenue funding source provides the most flexible funding option for the public to use in determining what they would like to see in a plan they can support. The RTA tax is collected across Pima County within the RTA’s state-established special taxing district.