City of Flagstaff Propositions

Proposition 487  Vote YES

This proposition would extend the popular Bed, Bath, and Board tax, allowing the continued furnishing of substantial and important benefits to Flagstaff residents. The vast majority of this 2% tax is derived from visitors to Flagstaff who stay in our hotels and eat and drink at our restaurants and bars.

The BBB tax provides a direct benefit to Flagstaff residents by funding our city’s parks and recreation facilities including adult athletic leagues (softball, basketball, and volleyball) and the youth basketball league, as well as our FUTS trails. BBB funds provide direct economic development to local businesses in the form of attraction, retention, and expansion. This tax also supports arts and science events in Flagstaff, funds cultural organizations, provides a variety of public art and beautification of our city, and visitor services. For the first time, BBB funds can now be used for maintenance of our city’s many hundreds of acres of formally designated Open Space.

F3 recommends a YES vote. The benefits of the BBB tax are substantial and important to Flagstaff residents. This tax provides the funding that helps to provide a high quality of life for Flagstaff residents and makes our city the incredible place it is.

Proposition 488  Vote YES

Proposition 488 will improve access to an affordable and sustainable public transportation system through a renewal and increase of the current transit tax. Mountain Line supplements revenue received from passenger user fees with a Flagstaff transit tax as well as federal grants. Most forms of transportation, including roads and public transit throughout Arizona are supported with some local sales tax revenues.

Proposition 488 will allow Mountain Line to address increasing operating costs including salaries and fuel. It will allow for expanded and more frequent public transit within Flagstaff as outlined in Mountain Line’s 5-year transit plan. If approved, the transit tax rate will increase to $0.50, which is equal to 50 cents on a $100 purchase.

Over 2.5 million riders used Mountain Line in 2019. Two-thirds of Flagstaff riders use Mountain Line transit because they don’t have access to a vehicle to get to school and work. Mountain Line provides transit to local charter schools and has stepped up recently to provide important transportation options to high school students to help the school district (FUSD) overcome bus driver shortages.

The additional funding will allow Mountain Line to expand service hours, run more buses, more often, and create capacity for new routes and new service areas as Flagstaff grows. The 5-year Plan envisions expanded service on W. Route 66 to serve the Railroad Springs and Woody Mountain Rd. areas, currently not serviced by transit. This proposition would also allow for the conversion of the entire Mountain Line fleet to electric buses within 10 years.

F3 recommends a YES vote as it will result in more use of transit by Flagstaff residents and reduced environmental impacts. Investing in climate-friendly public transportation improves our quality of life and moves Flagstaff toward meeting the goals of our Carbon Neutrality Plan.