Tuesday is the last day to mail ballots for Tempe sports arena special election

TEMPE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- Tempe residents have until the end of Tuesday to mail in their ballots and have until the 16th to turn in their ballots regarding the proposed Tempe entertainment district.

The concept is to build the 2.1 million dollar project on a landfill found on the northeast corner of Priest Drive and Rio Salado Parkway. Those against the arena claim that Tempe could get a better development and tax deal while those for the district say that it would generate jobs and revenue for the city.

“It’s because it’s going to bring jobs--almost 7,000 permanent jobs-- and second, it’s going to bring almost 800 million dollars of net-new benefits for the city, and third, it’s going to clean up this city-owned toxic landfill,” said one person in support of the project.

One Tempe woman against the district said, “It relies on massive property tax breaks 500 million plus dollars in taxes that the developer isn’t paying into the city, which just shifts the burden for all those important services back onto us.” She said she hopes voters choose “no” on their ballot so local organizations and officials can prioritize what the city’s needs are.

“By voting no we get to have that conversation rather than getting locked into this forever deal with a risky developer who’s already burned bridges in Tucson and Glendale, and that’s why he’s coming to Tempe now,” she said.

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