Summary

In the last election, City of Tucson voters approved a $100 million General Obligation Bond program to improve the condition of City streets. Bond funds will be used to restore, repair, and resurface streets inside Tucson City limits. No change can be made to this purpose for the bond funds without going back to voters for approval.
 

Bond Program

• Bond funds will be invested in street resurfacing over a 5 year period.
• Approximately 85% of bond funds will be allocated to major streets with the remainder allocated to neighborhood streets.
• Approximately 130 miles of major streets and 114 miles of neighborhood streets will be resurfaced as part of  the bond program.
• All work will be competitively bid out to private sector contractors.
• The map identifies the major streets planned to be resurfaced with bond funds.
• These streets were selected based on a comprehensive engineering analysis of the condition of City streets and a determination of the appropriate paving treatment based on the condition.
   

Financial Information

• General Obligation Bonds are a common financing tool used by local governments to pay for infrastructure improvements. 
• The estimated residential tax impact of this Bond Program is $18 per year per $100,000 of full cash value, as determined by the Pima County Assessor.
• This General Obligation Bond will be repaid through the City’s secondary property tax, resulting in an estimated average rate increase of 33 cents.
• The bond repayment period is expected to be 20 years.  
   

Truth in Bonding

• The Mayor and Council have adopted a Truth in Bonding Policy to ensure that no change can be made to the purpose for the bond funds (resurfacing City streets) without going back to voters for approval.
• A Citizen Bond Oversight Commission will oversee the expenditure of bond funds to ensure they are expended as approved by voters.
   

Frequently Asked Questions

Question:
How much of the $100 million will go directly to street resurfacing?  

Answer:
Approximately $99 million of the $100 million will be competitively bid out to the private sector to resurface City streets.  The remaining $1 million will be needed to cover the cost of issuing the bonds.

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Question:
Why can't the City use existing funds to resurface streets?  

Answer:
In the past the City has relied primarily on HURF (Highway User Revenue Fund) money from the State to pay for investments in streets.  In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the HURF allocation to cities.  The City's General Fund, which must pay for other City services such as police and fire, does not have the capacity to cover the lost HURF revenue.

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Question:
Will the bond funds be used for anything other than street rehabilitation?  

Answer:
Funds will only be used for street resurfacing from curb-to-curb.  Funds will not be used for sidewalks, bus stops, or other transportation improvements.

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Question:
How will the Bond Program affect bicyclists and pedestrians?

Answer:
Streets will be resurfaced and will be re-striped to current standards, providing the opportunity to demarcate pedestrian crossings and in some cases add capacity for bicyclists.  

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Question:
Will the City be focusing bond funds on streets that are in the worst condition?

Answer:
Many City streets are in poor or failed condition and a portion of the bond funds will be dedicated to performing reconstruction and mill/overlay on these streets.  However, less expensive treatments that prevent roads in good or fair condition from falling into the poor or failed categories will be one of the strategies pursued in order to use funds as efficiently as possible.  

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Question:
Why are the majority of bond funds being focused on major streets when our neighborhood streets are severely deteriorated?

Answer:
Major streets are travelled more frequently by more people at higher speeds.  

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Question:
How will neighborhood streets be selected for treatment?

Answer:
The City's Transportation Department uses a comprehensive engineering analysis to evaluate residential street conditions. City staff will use this data on street conditions to prioritize neighborhood streets for resurfacing and submit this plan to the Bond Oversight Commission for review.

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Question:
What is the criteria for appointment to the Bond Oversight Commission?

Answer:
Any interested resident of the City of Tucson is eligible to sit on the Commission.  Applicants are chosen based on qualifications, leadership role in the community, stakeholder group and geographic area representation.  The Commission consists of 11 voting members, 7 selected by the Mayor and Council and 4 by the City Manager.  Commission members meet quarterly to review progress on the Bond Program and produce an annual report to citizens.  For information on the current Commission including members, meetings, and minutes visit tucsonaz.gov/clerks/boards?board=114

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Question:
How does the City plan to fund street resurfacing once the Bond Program is completed?

Answer:
The City's Transportation Department estimates that $20 million per year is the amount needed to adequately invest in the preservation of City streets.  The City is in the process of exploring long term funding options, including regional solutions.

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Question:
Can the bond program be changed once approved by voters?

Answer:
No change can be made to the purpose of bond funds (resurfacing of City streets) without going back to the voters for approval.
 

For more information, call 791-4204 or email streetbonds@tucsonaz.gov