By Roland Murphy | AZBEX
AZBEX and BEX Companies are dedicated to covering and supporting the Architecture/Engineering/Construction industry in Arizona. From our inception more than a decade ago, our operating mission has been: “We help our subscribers find work.”
That focus has been both broad enough to allow us to cover a wide range of topics and narrow enough to keep us from wading into any number of social and political quagmires. We’ve also exercised a fair amount of restraint because both Founder and President Rebekah Morris and Managing Editor Roland Murphy hold the old school view of journalism and reporting that we should report the facts as objectively as possible and trust that our readership is responsible enough to form its own opinions when provided with factual information.
There are exceptions, however. Just as we have occasionally called out flawed project plans, we have also reported on public policy that is stilted in its potential impacts on the industry or the overall economy.
While we will do our best to not get overly political, we are compelled to go “once more unto the breach” and bring our readers’ attention to the current state of legislative proposals concerning the renewal of Proposition 400—the half-cent sales tax providing funding for transportation in Maricopa County.
The Current State of Prop 400
As we reported in a Special Coverage edition last October (here, here, here and here), the current half-cent sales tax is set to expire at the end of 2025. The Arizona State Legislaturemust pass legislation to put the measure on the ballot for voter approval if it is to be renewed. Like any other law, that legislation must be signed by the Governor in order to go into effect. (AZBEX; Oct. 14, 2022)
