Proposition 479, formerly Proposition 400, is up for a vote in November. It is a vote on whether to continue an existing half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County.
MESA, Ariz. — A Valley mayor is working with a national group to improve our local infrastructure and public safety. Mesa Mayor John Giles was one of 200 mayors from across the country who joined the new initiative.
Giles said there are several different infrastructure projects underway in Mesa. A couple of them involve light rail and electric vehicles. Mesa received nearly $12 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2024 to strengthen its public electric vehicle charging network.
That money will be used to make driving electric vehicles more accessible and convenient, Mesa said. Mesa said 48 new vehicle charging stations will be added around the city. The efforts, he says, are a response to the growing needs of people who live in Mesa and the businesses located there.
The grant will increase charging ports by 40%. As of January, there were 49 public EV charging stations with 118 ports serving more than 3,200 city residents who drive EVs. The new ports will be located based on needs identified in Mesa’s community EV action plan.
Mayor Giles said it is important for him to attend national meetings to advocate for his city’s interests. One of the areas he will focus on at the meeting will be infrastructure.
“That’s one of the fundamental functions of local government,” Giles said. “Mesa has a great story to tell with the way we’re accessing federal money through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.”
The city is also receiving nearly $16 million in federal grant money to move forward with the Rio East-Dobson Streetcar extension.
The money is part of a federal infrastructure grant from Rebuilding American. It is funded under the bipartisan Infrastructure Act. The Rio East-Dobson Trolley Extension project, or REDE, will extend Valley Metro’s existing 3-mile trolley line by more than four additional miles from Tempe to Mesa.
The grant funds will be used to complete the design and environmental work on the project. In a statement from Mesa, Mayor Giles said the expansion will prepare the area for anticipated population growth and the creation of more jobs. He said it is also providing public transportation to underserved areas. Mayor Giles added that the infrastructure money is being used for more than just public transportation in the city.
“We recently cut the ribbon on the new Mesa Gateway Airport terminal, which was built entirely with bipartisan infrastructure money from the federal government,” Giles said. “It’s important to me to be here at the national level advocating for the issues that are important to Mesa, like immigration, infrastructure and the other challenges we face.”
In February, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport opened a new five-gate south terminal. It’s another step forward in increasing air travel in the East Valley.
Mayor Giles said all of these projects are being pursued with an important vote on the November ballot. Proposition 479, formerly Proposition 400, will decide on the continuation of an existing half-cent sales tax in Maricopa County.
A yes vote would extend the tax through 2045, and a no vote would discontinue it at the end of 2025. The Maricopa Association of Governments estimated that continuing the tax for 20 years would generate nearly $15 billion in revenue, not adjusted for inflation.
“We are at real risk of falling behind,” Mayor Giles said. “Right now, one of the Valley’s strengths is our transportation infrastructure. If we are not successful in reauthorizing — not raising taxes, but just keeping that half-cent sales tax — we could fall way behind when it comes to transportation infrastructure, and that’s going to result in delays.”
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