The Community Challenge
The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) of Pima County, Arizona is funded by a half-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax, which was set to expire at the end of June 2026. Without the re-affirmation of voters in a March special election, roughly two-thirds of critical transportation funding would disappear, dealing a severe blow regional connectivity, economic growth, and public safety across Tucson communities. It had been twenty years since this funding decision was last put to the public: high time for an Issues Mobilization campaign.
Why REALTORS® Stepped In
The Tucson Association of REALTORS® helped lead the original effort in establishing the RTA twenty years ago, and has maintained strong interest in its work of improving safety, reducing congestion, and connecting key regional economic corridors – essential contributors to the region’s economic vitality, including its housing market.
As the expiration date on the RTA’s principal funding source approached, the REALTORS® stepped up, not just to educate voters but to actively shape the outcome by reinforcing that all the benefits of an up-to-date, fully functional transportation network were dependent on the continuation of the half-cent sales tax. Internal polling showed that a significant majority of REALTOR® members wanted their association to advocate for improving both transportation infrastructure and economic development.
With access to grant funding from the REALTOR® Party, the association was in a position to light a fire under the off-year electorate, and get-out-the-vote in favor of RTA funding.
What Changed Because They Did
An Issues Mobilization grant from the REALTOR® Party helped fund a comprehensive campaign to educate and persuade a voting public that might have lost sight of the RTA’s importance since the last time funding was up for a vote, or who were simply new to the Pima County electorate. Following a period of coalition building and planning, the Tucson Association led the robust campaign of online advertising, TV, and billboards, complemented by a coordinated grassroots effort to meet members at their offices and civic organizations. The association also hosted a town hall for members, as well as a public information session on behalf of the RTA. On Election Day, the people of Pima County voted to retain and fund their Regional Transportation Authority for another two decades. The effort, leadership, and financial commitment of the Tucson Association of REALTORS® had shifted the needle on the issue, and helped move the entire region forward.
Why This Matters for Associations
This victory demonstrates how a local association—regardless of size—can leverage REALTOR® Party resources to lead on complex, high-stakes policy issues.
The beauty of Pima County’s sales-tax-funded RTA is that its focus is on both large regional infrastructure projects in areas that need them to open up development, and in urban cores to support infill housing; where local jurisdictions can’t make the lift on their own, the RTA has them covered. The continued public investment in transportation, infrastructure, and community safety will strengthen the region’s economy, including the long-term growth of much-needed housing.
To learn more about how the Tucson Association of REALTORS® is working to make connections of all kinds throughout the communities of Pima County, contact CEO Romeo Arrieta at romeo@tucsonrealtors.org.
To see the list of transportation infrastructure supported by the funding authorized by RTA Next, visit: https://rtanext.com/wp-content/docs/next/RTA-Next-Plan-Final-Approved-8-25-2025.pdf
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