Road Building Requirement Lifted For Arizona Homebuilders

"The deal, outlined in a letter obtained by Capitol Media Services, resulted in the recrafting of the $42.6 billion transit improvement initiative shortly before it was filed Tuesday to remove a provision to raise at least some of the money from fees on new developments - fees that would be added to the cost of new homes."

"Instead the final version of the initiative - the one being circulated for signatures - calls for the entire costs of new highways, widened roads and mass transit projects to be paid for with a 1-cent increase in the state sales tax, an increase of 18 percent from the current 5.6 cent state levy."

"With the development fees gone, Connie Wilhelm, president of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, promised to provide $100,000 up front to help gather the more than 153,000 signatures that transit-tax backers need by July 3 to put the measure on the November ballot."