Aurora Residents Vote on 0.25% Sales Tax for East Side Bus Routes

Aurora voters will decide Measure A on the November ballot, a proposal to raise the local sales tax by one-quarter of one percent to support expanded bus service and road maintenance. The measure affects all city residents who make purchases within Aurora limits and targets daily commutes along routes such as the 12th Street corridor and the South Loop line.

City budget documents show transit ridership rose 14 percent between 2023 and 2025, while state fuel tax revenue allocated to Aurora fell by $2.1 million in the same period. Officials placed the measure on the ballot after the transit department projected a $4.7 million operating shortfall for the coming fiscal year.

Effects on household costs and services

A household spending $40,000 annually on taxable goods would face roughly $100 in added tax each year under the new rate. The revenue would fund two additional weekday bus runs on the Eastside Express and extend evening service until 11 p.m. on three routes now ending at 9 p.m.

Local advocates note that shift workers at the industrial park near 48th Avenue rely on the later buses to reach jobs at the distribution centers. The city clerk's summary states that 62 percent of current riders live in census tracts with median incomes below the city average.

Measure A would also allocate 30 percent of new funds to pavement repairs on 18 miles of residential streets identified in the 2025 capital plan. The public works department lists those segments as having pavement condition indexes below 55, the threshold for major rehabilitation.

Timeline and next steps

Ballots will be mailed starting 15 October, with in-person voting available from 28 October through election day. The city elections office projects turnout near 38 percent based on the 2024 local contest. If approved, the tax increase takes effect 1 January 2027 and runs for eight years before requiring renewal.