Related articles:

Board OKs transit projects that rely on 1-cent sales tax

Other articles by Howard Fischer:

Brewer could bring clear rightward tilt New jobless claims hit 30,000 in October Jobless rate Gov. calls for more funding of public works If 'SNL' spoof means you've arrived, then Napolitano has Napolitano keeping her options open Atty. general job apparently won't go to Napolitano Holiday meal costs rise again Court rules casino is immune from lawsuit Governor still hoping US pays for migrant inmates

Retail
TOTAL WINE & MORE
WINE TEAM MEMBERS, CASHIER & STOCK MEMEBERS Technical
Yavapai College
Analyst Banner Programmer Health Care
Carondelet Foothills Surgery
Pre-Op Nurse Education
Yavapai College
Teachers Health Care
SOUTHERN ARIZONA ENDODONTICS I
NSURANCE PROCESSOR Dental
Apache Dental
Porcelain Techs General
GROUNDS CONTROL
LANDCAPE FOREMAN & LABORERS

Arizona voters should defeat a proposed 1-cent hike in state sales taxes because it does not devote enough to mass transit, the Sierra Club recommended Thursday.

The environmental group complained Thursday that only 18 percent of the $42.6 billion that would be raised during the next 30 years from the new tax would go to such things as more buses and light rail.

Jim Vaaler, chairman of the Grand Canyon chapter, said the club is particularly interested in proposed Tucson-to-Phoenix passenger rail service.

Thursday's announcement creates a second front of opposition for the business and civic groups that hope to persuade voters to support higher taxes for transportation. The Arizona Federation of Taxpayers has complained the plan actually spends too much on what Chairman Tom Jenney calls "highly expensive and ineffective transit projects such as light rail."

And Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, is exploring whether to put an alternate plan on the November ballot, one that would instead hike the state's 5.6 percent sale tax by just a half-cent, with all the money going to new and expanded freeways and roads.

Roc Arnett, president of the East Valley Partnership, a key backer of the 1-cent hike, said Thursday he could not comment specifically on the Sierra Club's concerns. But Arnett said he believes foes are in the minority.

Vaaler said 55 percent of the cash raised would go to state highways, mostly in Maricopa and Pima counties, which he said makes little sense, given that both counties already levy their own sales taxes for transportation, with most of that money used for roads.

And he noted none of Arizona's 18-cent-a-gallon gasoline tax goes to mass transit projects. There needs to be "a more balanced transportation system," he said.

The Sierra Club was particularly upset the tentative plan the tax would fund new roads in the area from Chino Valley through Prescott Valley to Dewey.

"This will not only subsidize more sprawl in an area already fighting over diminishing groundwater, but will also fragment one of the last, best pronghorn grasslands," said Tom Slaback who chairs the club's Prescott area group.

The group also took aim at a deal cut by Gov. Janet Napolitano with the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona.

Napolitano agreed the proposal that went on the ballot would rely solely on hiking sales taxes, with no "impact fees" or other new charges on developers.

Vaaler said that runs contrary to the Sierra Club's belief growth should be "paying its way in Arizona."

Napolitano said the deal ensures not only that builders will not oppose the tax hike, but requires the group to provide $100,000 to help finance the campaign to get more than 153,000 signatures on petitions by July 3 to qualify for the November ballot.

As part of the deal, the builders also agreed not to oppose another initiative sponsored by the Nature Conservancy to put 570,000 acres of state trust lands permanently off limits to development. Opposition from the group to a similar plan two years ago helped lead to its defeat.

So far, most of the money for the road-tax plan has come from companies that could benefit from major new spending on road and transit projects.

That includes $100,000 from Combs Construction Co., $35,000 donations each from Ames Construction Co., Haydon Building Corp., FNF Construction Co. and Pulice Construction; $30,000 from Achen-Gardner Engineering Corp., and $25,000 from The Sundt Cos.