Capitol Media Services - Arizona / West

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.13.2006

http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/160200

PHOENIX - Calling it a “time tax,” Gov. Janet Napolitano said Tuesday that she will propose a way to accelerate both road construction and mass transit without raising taxes.  Napolitano said too much of the state is being developed with homes coming first and plans for services later. But Napolitano, in a preview of her State of the State speech, conceded that simply building more roads faster addresses only the symptoms of the state’s meteoric growth. 

The governor also wants to:

● Expand availability of “affordable housing” to ensure that people who work in communities actually can live there.

● Allow rural communities to deny building permits when there is no guarantee of enough water.

● Protect both natural and historical resources to ensure that Arizona does not “cement over our past” as it builds new houses and shopping centers. 

The governor, however, rejected growth limits, saying they are not necessary, even in a state where it rains only about 7 inches a year.

“Even now, we’re banking water,” Napolitano said, referring to a 2004 deal for the state to bank and then sell more than 14 billion gallons of the Arizona’s water supply to Nevada every year for the next three decades. “And we’re careful about water.”

Instead, Napolitano told mayors meeting in Phoenix that the state and its communities need “more tools” to deal with the effects of growth.

At or near the top of that list is traffic congestion, as drivers find themselves spending more time moving shorter distances. “We need to accelerate the construction of state roadways and expand other transportation options throughout the state,” she said. Napolitano said the current schedule for building new roads and widening existing ones “is currently too long,” with no end in sight to current congestion.

“Quite frankly, to me, sitting in traffic is a time tax,” the governor explained. “For many, many people, busy or juggling work or family or other things, your time is your most precious asset.”

Napolitano said she will ask legislators to change how highways are financed. The governor would not be specific, but she said it would not involve higher taxes or borrowing more money than the state already does for its road-building projects. And an aide said it does not involve toll roads. The governor said she also wants to accelerate mass transit funding and provide cash for intercity rail, something that does not now exist. Napolitano also wants changes in state law to promote affordable housing. “There are whole areas of our state where the average housing cost is far outstripping the average wage,” she said. “There are areas of our state where there are people who are teachers and police officers and public servants cannot afford to live in the community that they service.” She said that means giving more options to local governments to plan and actually finance homes that people can afford. “We want people to be able to have and own their own home,” Napolitano said.