Local leaders in southern Arizona are clashing over the details of a new regional transportation plan slated to go before voters in 2025.A 20-year transportation plan and half-cent excise tax approved by Pima County voters in 2006 is set to expire soon, and local leaders must put a new proposal before voters to avoid losing millions of dollars for transportation projects around the region.“We are a long way from getting a settlement on a plan,” said Marana Mayor Ed Honea, who sits on the nine-member Regional Transportation Authority board.The board wants the plan to have a robust public review before an election in May 2025.Without a consensus on projects or construction timelines, critics say the transportation board has a lot of work in front of it.Southern Arizona:Tucson is getting its first rapid transit bus route. Here’s where, when you can ride itTucson ‘not satisfied’ with the draft planAt the most recent RTA board meeting on Jan. 25, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero demanded a return on investment for Tucson voters from the new RTA plan, called RTA Next.Tucson makes up more than half of the county’s population and a larger percentage of economic activity, according to the county.“I’m not satisfied with the amount of money in transit. I am not satisfied with the amount of money for the Tucson taxpayers in the main corridor element,” she said, referring to the primary list of roadway improvement projects.The projects for transit in the RTA Next plan include continuing existing RTA-funded public transportation services, as well as a bus route expansion totaling $610 million out of the $2.34 billion budget.Romero also told the board Tucson wants some money in the new plan earmarked for road repair. While representatives of other jurisdictions have said they use their own funding for road maintenance, Romero did not budge.“Pavement preservation for …
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