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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Connect Tacoma: Safe Streets and Sidewalks initiative?
The Connect Tacoma: Safe Streets and Sidewalks initiative is a proposed 10-year, $200 million voter-approved levy scheduled for the August 4, 2026, ballot. It aims to fund transportation safety, street maintenance, and pedestrian improvements, generating a total of $320 million including grants. This initiative replaces the 2015-2025 Streets Initiative, focusing on high-use streets, residential repairs, and multimodal connectivity.
Is this a new tax?
No, this is not a new tax. The Connect Tacoma: Safe Streets and Sidewalks initiative replaces the recently expired Tacoma Streets initiative at the same rate approved by voters in 2015.
What will the levy pay for?
The approximately $320 million program is organized into three investment categories:
Safe Streets for Everyone ($159 million | 50 percent): Funding for arterial corridors and high-use streets, focusing on safety, reliability, and economic connectivity.
Better Neighborhood Streets ($85 million | 26 percent): Funding for residential streets through paving, pothole repair, traffic calming, and sidewalk enhancements.
Improved Connections ($76 million | 24 percent): Funding to expand sidewalks, ADA access, and multimodal connections to support walking, biking, rolling, and transit use.
How much will the levy cost?
The estimated combined cost to the average Tacoma resident is about $10.43 per month or about $125.16 per year.
How much is the levy expected to generate?
The replacement levy is expected to generate approximately $20 million annually. With matching grants and partnership funding, the levy is projected to raise an additional $12 million per year for a total of $320 million over 10 years.
How exactly will funds be collected?
The levy would be funded through a combination of property tax and utility tax increases. The property tax portion is $0.20 per $1,000 of assessed value. With a maximum total levy rate of $1.95 per $1,000. The utility tax portion is 1.5% earnings tax on natural gas, electric, and phone utilities which represent about $1.97 per month or $23.64 per year.
Are there any exemptions from the property tax portion?
Seniors and individuals with disabilities who qualify under existing property tax relief programs would be exempt from the property tax portion.
Small Cost. Big Impact.
For about $10 a month per property, Tacoma can keep fixing streets, prevent costly repairs later, and make roads safer for everyone.
Prevents larger, more expensive repairs in the future
Keeps streets in good condition without falling behind
Maintains steady progress instead of stop-and-start projects