Jeff Gardner, Tucson Local Media Aug 11, 2021
The Town of Marana has recently proposed a seven-year half-cent sales tax to pay for a potential $40 million community center and aquatic facility at the municipal complex.
The proposed “multi generational” community center comes after a survey in the Town’s Parks & Rec Master Plan identified the community’s desire for more recreation in northern Marana. The 55,000-square-foot community center would include an indoor gym, weight rooms, meeting rooms, pools, sport fields and more.
Marana currently has a bid out for the project manager, according to Town Manager Terry Rozema. Completing the center’s design should take roughly a year, and accounting for 18 months of construction will put a rough completion date on the project for 2024—should the Town Council accept the proposal.
Ahead of a potential October decision, the Town is hosting a series of public information sessions regarding the center and tax, the next of which falls on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at the Marana Police Department. Following that, the next session will be held at the Dove Mountain CSTEM K-8 School on Thursday, Sept. 9.
“This is our opportunity to explain to people what our plan is, and to see if there’s any feedback, pushback or support. Because in the Master Plan, we never discussed that if we move forward with a community center and aquatic center, ow we’d pay for it. That wasn’t a part of the 10-year plan,” Rozema said. “So there’s a lot of people saying they want the center. But it’s one thing to want it and another thing to say how to pay for it. So we’re finding out how badly people want this, and if they’re willing to pay a half-cent sales tax to pay for it.”
The new sales tax would potentially go into effect as soon as January 2022, should the Town Council approve it in October. Marana has previously used a temporary sales tax increase to fund other municipal projects, including the new police headquarters at the municipal complex, as well as the Twin Peaks overpass. At the end of seven years, the Town may end the tax, or shift it to fund another municipal project. This new tax would increase the town’s sales tax from 2% to 2.5%, matching nearby Oro Valley’s sales tax rate.
“I think one of the things we’ve gotten positive feedback from people on is that we’re not raising taxes and people have no idea where they’re going. It’s a clear result,” Rozema said. “Of course, everyone will say their taxes are already high enough, and that their property taxes keep going up. But we want to educate people that we don’t collect their property tax. Marana does not have a property tax. That is Pima County and it goes to the fire district and school districts. This sales tax would primarily come from retail: entertainment, lumber, tools.”