|
Back to Calendar
Return
|
| |
Consent-General Government # 10.
|
| Board of Supervisors |
County Administrator |
|
|
|
| Subject |
Adopt resolution in support of the California State Association of Counties' efforts to secure new, robust and sustainable revenues for the maintenance and rehabilitation of local streets and roads and state highways, as well as sensible reforms. (No general fund impact) (Blacklock/Tengolics)
|
| Recommended Action |
| Adopt resolution in support of the California State Association of Counties' efforts to secure new, robust and sustainable revenues for the maintenance and rehabilitation of local streets and roads and state highways, as well as sensible reforms. |
| Strategic Plan Goal(s) |
Operational Excellence
Thriving Residents
Safe Communities
Sustainable Environment
Flourishing Agriculture |
| Reason for Recommended Action/Background |
As negotiations continue within the special legislative session on transportation, staff has recommended that the Board adopt the attached resolution (Att. A) in support of CSAC’s efforts to secure new, robust, and sustainable revenues for the maintenance and rehabilitation of local streets and roads and state highways as well as sensible reforms. Nineteen counties have already take this version or a similar resolution to their Boards. These counties include: Alameda, Alpine, Lake, Lassen, Los Angeles, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Placer, Plumas, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, and Trinity.
The resolution strongly urges the Governor and Legislature to adopt the following priorities for funding California’s streets and roads.
1. Make a significant new investment in transportation infrastructure. Any package should seek to raise at least $6 billion annually and should remain in place for at least 10 years or until an alternative method of funding our transportation system is agreed upon.
2. Focus on maintaining and rehabilitating the current system. Repairing California’s streets and highways involves much more than fixing potholes. It requires major road pavement overlays, fixing unsafe bridges, providing safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians, replacing storm water culverts, as well as operational improvements that necessitate the construction of auxiliary lanes to relieve traffic congestion choke points and fixing design deficiencies that have created unsafe merging and other traffic hazards. Efforts to supply funding for transit in addition to funding for roads should also focus on fixing the system first.
3. Equal split between state and local projects. We support sharing revenue for roadway maintenance equally (50/50) between the state and cities and counties, given the equally-pressing funding needs of both systems, as well as the longstanding historical precedent for collecting transportation user fees through a centralized system and sharing the revenues across the entire network through direct subventions. Ensuring that funding to local governments is provided directly, without intermediaries, will accelerate project delivery and ensure maximum accountability.
4. Raise revenues across a broad range of options. Research by the California Alliance for Jobs and Transportation California shows that voters strongly support increased funding for transportation improvements. They are much more open to a package that spreads potential tax or fee increases across a broad range of options, including fuel taxes, license fees, and registration fees, rather than just one source. Additionally, any package should move California toward an all-users pay structure, in which everyone who benefits from the system contributes to maintaining it – from traditional gasoline-fueled vehicles, to new hybrids or electric vehicles, to commercial vehicles.
5. Invest a portion of diesel tax and/or cap & trade revenue to high-priority goods movement projects. While the focus of a transportation funding package should be on maintaining and rehabilitating the existing system, California has a critical need to upgrade the goods movement infrastructure that is essential to our economic well-being. Establishing a framework to make appropriate investments in major goods movement arteries can lay the groundwork for greater investments in the future that will also improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
6. Strong accountability requirements to protect the taxpayers’ investment. Voters and taxpayers must be assured that all transportation revenues are spent responsibly. Local governments are accustomed to employing transparent processes for selecting road maintenance projects aided by pavement management systems, as well as reporting on the expenditure of transportation funds through the State Controller’s Local Streets and Roads Annual Report.
|
| Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies) |
| The County Administrator's Office has and will continue to work closely with Planning, Public Works, and Environmental Services and the California State Association of Counties' on transportation revenue issues. |
|
| Fiscal Impact |
|
|
| Source of Funds for this Expenditure |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|