Tucson special election for proposed sales tax canceled

Tucson’s mayor and council voted to cancel a special election that was set for August.

In February, the city council moved to call for a special election that would allow voters to establish a set transaction privilege tax in the city’s charter that would be used to fund community investments.

But the mayor and council did not yet determine the specific provisions of that tax proposal by the statutory deadlines.

The now-canceled special election drew scrutiny earlier this year after some lawmakers questioned whether Tucson could have such an election. State law says that cities can only hold elections for new taxes in November of even-numbered years. But in March, Attorney General Kris Mayes said that the election could proceed.

"The timing of Tucson’s special election to amend its Charter is a matter of purely municipal concern, even though the proposed amendment concerns a transaction privilege tax,” she wrote.