Fresno County advocacy groups unveiled on Wednesday a replacement for the transportation tax that failed to gain the necessary support of local government.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal street maintenance must be central to any plan going forward. And that is exactly what this plan does, committing 65% of the funds to local roads, while ensuring public transportation needs are also being met.\u201d \u2014 Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer<\/p>\n
The proposal attempts to balance road improvement needs and alternative transportation funding, letting voters have a say on the Measure C renewal plan that likely would not get the support of Fresno County supervisors.<\/p>\n
This renewal, however, will have the much easier task of only needing the approval of 50% and one voter, as opposed to the two-thirds advocates would have needed to get Measure C approved.<\/p>\n
To qualify for the ballot, petitioners will have to collect 22,000 signatures,<\/a> said Fresno County Registrar of Voters James Kus in a previous interview. Given the rushed timeline, however, a more realistic figure is 34,000 signatures so that officials don\u2019t need to verify every one, just a random sampling.<\/p>\n Several mayors and elected officials from Fresno and Clovis attended a Wednesday news conference supporting the measure from many of the groups who advocated for more transit options during the contentious Measure C fight.<\/p>\n GV Wire did not receive notice about the news conference. Transportation 4 all representatives were not available to comment.<\/p>\n The sponsoring group \u2014 called Moving Fresno Forward \u2014 proposed spending proportions from the plan that failed at the Fresno Council of Governments, with 65% going to road repair, 25% to public transit projects, 4% to access and innovation, 5% to regional connectivity, and 1% to administration and oversight.<\/p>\n The access and innovation funding is limited to alternative transit uses, said a Fresno County public works expert.<\/p>\n Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer told GV Wire in a statement that the region needs a transportation tax to repair roads.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout a transportation measure, the city of Fresno and other communities in Fresno County will continue falling further behind,\u201d Dyer said. \u201cThat\u2019s why local street maintenance must be central to any plan going forward. And that is exactly what this plan does, committing 65% of the funds to local roads, while ensuring public transportation needs are also being met.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Story: Measure C Steering Committee Finishes Delayed Plan as County Officials Push<\/a><\/p>\n Transportation Tax the Same as Measure C Renewal Proposal<\/p>\n Moving Fresno Forward\u2019s plan keeps the same guidelines as the COG plan, said Parlier Mayor Alma Beltran.<\/p>\n That means a half-cent tax over 30 years, bringing in about $7 billion. The 30 years is a increase from the 20-year terms of the previous versions.<\/p>\n Beltran said the new measure will prioritize roads, transit, and safe routes to schools, not only in Fresno but throughout the county. The steering committee, which had outsized influence from Transportation 4 All, mandated that<\/p>\n She said previous versions of Measure C focused too much on regional projects, leaving city street conditions behind.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are other regional funding sources available for regional priorities; however, there are no dedicated funding sources for local roads other than this measure,\u201d Beltran told GV Wire in an email. \u201cThat is why it is critical to focus on our rural and urban cities to secure the funding needed to restore local streets and bring them to a condition where commuter can travel safely.\u201d<\/p>\n Required metrics include bringing the average conditions of the roads for each jurisdiction up to a level 70, including major streets and neighborhood streets, according to the 36-page plan draft<\/a>. Any expressways, super-arterials, arterials, and collectors built or repaved will have to add dedicated bike lanes.<\/p>\n One hundred and twenty miles of new bike lanes and trails would have to be finished by 2057.<\/p>\n A minimum of five \u201csafe routes to schools\u201d improving walkability, safety, and connectivity must be completed. Fresno County will have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions according to goals laid out by the California Air Resources Board.<\/p>\n The measure will also be required to increase access to schools, jobs, housing, and other destinations by means other than driving. Fresno Area Express gets 70% of transit agency funds, Clovis Transit gets 10%, and Fresno County Rural Transit Authority gets 20%.<\/p>\n Cities that don\u2019t meet these requirements may have future funds withheld, the draft plan stated.<\/p>\n Public Works Experts Said Many Parts of Plan \u2018Unrealistic\u2019<\/p>\n Planning experts said during steering committee meetings that many of the restrictions make the plan \u201cunrealistic.\u201d Fresno County Public Works Design Division Manager Mohammad Alimi said a required 7% of funds going to disadvantaged communities don\u2019t meet the additional requirements for complete streets \u2014 which require sidewalks and storm drains.<\/p>\n