Tempe to hold informational meetings on upcoming sales tax election

This November, Tempe voters will decide on a 0.5% sales tax to fund public safety, transportation, and early childhood care and preschool education.

Funds from this tax will be split three ways:

0.3% for public safety, which could be used for:

• Additional firefighters, paramedics, park rangers, community responders and police officers and the tools needed to support them
• Neighborhood safety programs and emergency preparedness
• Street and park lighting for environmental safety

0.1% for transportation, which could be used for:

• Operating and maintaining Tempe buses, Orbit routes, streetcar and light rail services
• Extending Tempe Streetcar east of Mill Avenue to Tempe Marketplace and into Mesa along - Rio Salado Parkway
• Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects
• Bus shelters and transit area improvements
• Town Lake Pedestrian Bridge project west of McClintock Drive

0.1% for early childhood care and preschool, which could be used for:

• Programs for children from birth through age 5
• Free and reduced early childhood care and preschool tuition programs for qualified Tempe residents, followed by teachers employed by Tempe school districts, then City of Tempe employees and finally individuals employed by Tempe businesses.
• Increasing the number of Tempe PRE classrooms
• Scholarship and partnership programs for qualifying preschool and childcare providers

If Prop 424 passes, the cost would be fifty cents per one hundred dollars spent. Food for home consumption purchased from stores such as grocery and convenience stores would be excluded from this tax.

If Prop 424 does not pass, the current sales tax rate of 1.8% will remain in effect.

More information about Prop 424: tempe.gov/SalesTax2026

• Monday, Oct. 5 - Deadline to register to vote in Nov. 3 Election. Check your voter registration status at BeBallotReady.Vote.

• Oct. 7 - Nov. 3 - In-person voting. Find your location at Locations.Maricopa.Vote. There are also ballot drop box locations.

• Friday, Oct. 23 - Last day to request a replacement ballot by mail. Visit Request.Maricopa.Vote to request a ballot in the mail.

• Tuesday, Oct. 27 - Deadline to mail back your ballot. You can track your ballot status by visiting BeBallotReady.Vote or by signing up for ballot status alerts by texting "JOIN" to 628-683.

• Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. - Election Day!

The City of Tempe and its employees are governed by Arizona law prohibiting the use of city resources to influence an election. (A.R.S. § 9-500.14) Nothing in this distribution is or should be construed as an attempt to influence the result of any election, and is provided solely for informational purposes.