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<\/a><\/p>\nDyer has made it an annual tradition to deliver the first FAHF speech of the year. The event, held at Fort Washington Country Club, served as a de facto state of the city address.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur vision in the city of Fresno is to be an inclusive, prosperous, beautiful city where people take pride in their neighborhood and their community,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
Dyer briefly discussed the future of a Fresno County transportation tax in the context of the city\u2019s ongoing street improvements. The city\u2019s goal is to improve road conditions to a score of 70 out of 100 on the pavement condition index. Several Fresno streets currently rate in the 30s.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is unacceptable, and it\u2019s like that throughout Fresno County, which is why the passage of a transportation measure like Measure C is so important,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
The Measure C renewal \u2014 a half-cent countywide sales tax for transportation first passed in 1986 \u2014 expires next year. A government-led effort to place a renewal on the November ballot failed when the Fresno Council of Governments decided not to move forward<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dyer said Fresno faces $1.2 billion in deferred street maintenance and another $300 million for sidewalks. The city is bonding $100 million for its \u201cpave now, pay later\u201d program.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we have to have a transportation measure in Fresno that covers our streets,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n Dyer said the 1986 version focused on expanding freeways. The 2006 renewal was about regional projects. A 2026 version should prioritize local streets, he said.<\/p>\n Dyer on Competing Transportation Tax Plans<\/p>\n Any transportation tax would need to qualify for the ballot through signature-gathering efforts. Dyer endorsed a proposal from social justice group Transportation for All<\/a> for the half-cent tax extension, which would raise $7.3 billion over 30 years.<\/p>\n \u201cAs long as there are people out there who have a mutual desire to benefit our community, I\u2019m going to work with them.\u201d \u2014 Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer<\/p>\n The plan would require road conditions to reach a minimum score of 65 on the PCI scale.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hopeful that we\u2019ll get a Measure C passed here this coming November, and we\u2019ll be able to continue to do that over the next 30 years or so,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n A citizen-led initiative would need roughly 22,000 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot and would require only a simple majority to pass. A government-sponsored measure would require approval by two-thirds of voters.<\/p>\n A second group of transportation experts, led by former Fresno Council of Governments Executive Director Tony Boren, is also considering a transportation tax.<\/p>\n Dyer Prefers Only One Version on the Ballot<\/p>\n Dyer said he met with the Boren group Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cI am seeing if there are some mutual agreements along the way so that we can have one measure,\u201d Dyer told Politics 101 after his speech. \u201cBut if not, I\u2019m going to support the Transportation for All measure that I think has the most likelihood of being successful and most beneficial to the citizens of Fresno.\u201d<\/p>\n Building Healthy Communities, one of the groups behind the Transportation for All coalition, has sued the city in the past, including over the passage of the Measure P parks sales tax.<\/p>\n Dyer said he has had \u201ca really good relationship with a coalition of people who have been working toward this transportation measure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s important when you\u2019re a leader of a community is that you set aside personalities for the benefit of your community,\u201d Dyer said. \u201cAs long as there are people out there who have a mutual desire to benefit our community, I\u2019m going to work with them.\u201d<\/p>\n