Sonoma County Road Tax Measure A

[andy3175]

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/3878329-181/sonoma-county-road-tax-proposal

The fate of the most significant single bid in a generation to repair Sonoma County's crumbling road system – identified as one of the worst in the Bay Area for the past decade – will be decided in a June 2 special election that asks voters whether taxpayers should pony up more money to pay for a public good that most people use every day.

The proposed sales tax increase, advanced by the Board of Supervisors and backed by an uncommon alliance of labor, business and environmental groups, amounts to a political gamble. Supporters are stressing what they say is a critical need to ramp up road spending before repair costs become insurmountable. Their bet is that they can convince voters that elected officials representing the county and its nine cities will spend the money as they say they will – on roads and related transportation programs, and not on other pressing needs, such as rising public employee compensation costs.

The tax measure is being put to voters about five years after county public works officials raised the specter of a failing road system in the unincorporated area. At the time, they warned the Board of Supervisors that the county had only enough money to fix a small fraction of the county-governed 1,384-mile system, a shortfall that would leave much of the rest of the network to degrade into gravel. Amid public uproar, the Board of Supervisors rejected that plan. But while it has made some short-term upgrades over the past few years covering nearly 200 miles, the county has struggled to come up with a long-term blueprint to overhaul its network. For several years now, officials have signaled some sort of tax increase would be needed.

Measure A would generate $20 million in the first year, with annual revenues expected to rise by 3 percent thereafter. The proceeds would be split, with 44 percent – or about $8.7 million – going to the county, and the remainder divided between the nine cities, based on population and road miles. The measure needs a simple majority to pass.

County officials have acknowledged they chose a general tax measure over a specific measure earmarked for roads because they doubted whether they could secure the required two-thirds majority for a dedicated tax.

That decision has riled Measure A opponents, as has the way the ballot proposal is worded. It allows for funding to be spent on "general government purposes such as public safety, local road and pothole repair, senior, student and veterans transit and other essential services."

County officials have estimated they could fix an additional 160 miles of roads with their share of the tax revenue, but they have not specified which roads they intend to fix. (Rabbitt has said the county would fix 650 miles of roads under the measure, but that number was based on a sales tax increase over 20 years, as was initially proposed by the county last year).

Mail-in ballots for the special election went out Monday. Voter turnout during the special election is expected to be low, around 30 to 35 percent, according to the county Registrar of Voters.

[nexus73]

Only if the public is guaranteed that 100% of the tax goes to fixing the roads will the measure have a chance to win.  Yes, a supermajority is a tough proposition but anything other than a focused like a laser tax measure is a sure loss and elections aren't cheap.

Oh well, let the roads crumble.  As each area reverts back to the 1920's, those areas might be able to form their own special districts to repair the roads.  That's the only alternative way I see to get those roads fixed.

Rick

[mcarling]

Failed 37 to 63 percent.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/home/4016935-181/sonoma-county-voters-reject-measure