In 2004, Maricopa County voters approved a half-cent sales tax to help pay for transportation needs in the area.

Now, Valley Metro CEO Scott Smith tells PBS’s “Arizona Horizons” that the tax is going to expire in 2025, and the company is working to get its replacement on next year’s ballot.

“The intent is to try and get it on in 2022, so that if you find something that doesn’t fit with the public or with the Legislature, you still have some time, because these programs take time to ramp up and they take time to plan,” said Smith.

Smith says the tax, which has existed in some form for almost 40 years, has helped pay for freeway expansion, street work and the construction of the light rail.

He believes if the tax doesn’t get extended, Maricopa County transportation could struggle to keep up with a growing population.