PINAL COUNTY, AZ — Pinal County is looking to keep up its efforts to build and maintain its roads, and this past election, voters gave them the funding they were hoping for.
The county is booming, and with booming comes the need for roadways.
"When you consider the size of our county is the size of the State of Connecticut, that's a lot of miles when it comes to roads,” said Pinal County Supervisors Chairman Mike Goodman.
Proposition 486, approved by 75% of Pinal County voters, renews the county’s half-cent sales tax.
It will potentially generate about $36 million a year, something voters like Sandra Miranda want to see.
“It’s definitely a good idea here in San Tan because again, we need to grow those streets. There’s a lot of traffic,” said Miranda.
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“There’s another 35,000 homes that are already platted, meaning they have the right to build homes, 35,000 more in addition to the 40,000 homes that are already here in the San Tan Valley area,” said Goodman.
Driving down Ironwood Drive, ABC15 crews saw firsthand just how quickly the area is growing. New homes next to new subdivisions are all waiting for new residents.
“We moved out here when it was nice and quieter. I don’t think everyone likes all that growth coming to your city, but hey, what are we going to do about it?” said Miranda.
Had voters not renewed it, the tax would have expired in 2026. Now, over the next 20 years, it could raise between $800 million and $1.2 billion for projects in Pinal County.
“If your infrastructure is not in the right magnitude to be able to handle any kind of economic growth, it’s just not going to happen,” said Goodman.
The next chance voters will get a voice in this half-cent sales tax will be in 20 years.
A similar proposition for Maricopa County was also approved by voters.
