FRESNO, Calif. \u2013 After government-led efforts to renew a long-standing Fresno County transportation tax known as Measure C collapsed earlier this month, a coalition of community groups announced a proposal that could replace the tax when it expires next year.<\/p>\n
Since 1987, Measure C has contributed billions to fixing roads and transportation systems around the county. Efforts to renew that tax through government channels ended earlier this month over policy differences with the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. A previous effort to renew Measure C in 2022 also dissolved after it failed to receive the two-thirds of votes required at that time to pass.<\/p>\n
A new community coalition, working collectively under the slogan \u201cMoving Forward Together,\u201d proposed a sales tax this month to replace Measure C. The new measure would similarly impose a half-cent sales tax per dollar for transportation needs around the county.<\/p>\n
However, Measure C expires next year, and many community advocates and city leaders who had been part of the most recent Measure C renewal effort have banded together for the new proposal \u2013 including some who don\u2019t typically share the same stage in public.<\/p>\n
\u201cThousands of Fresno County residents came together to shape a vision for a better transportation future,\u201d Veronica Garibay, co-director of the non-profit Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, said at a press conference. \u201cOver the last year\u2026we visited every corner of our community to hear directly from residents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, who stood by community groups, said he would have liked county officials to finish what they had started to renew the existing Measure C, but acknowledged the reality of the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was my hope that we could go through the process that we have over the last two measures, and that was to have every city in Fresno County pass this measure, and then to have the county not only pass it, but then to put it on the ballot,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
The community-led effort to renew the county transportation tax is now in a race against time to get signatures approved for the November ballot.<\/p>\n
A committee within the Fresno Council of Governments, which was spearheading the Measure C renewal process, approved an expenditure plan late last year after months of community meetings. But the Fresno County Board of Supervisors failed to bring the plan up for a vote in early January \u2013 at a meeting that Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias described as \u201cthe final straw that broke the camel\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat then eliminated any opportunity for us to get the board of supervisors on the timeline for renewal of Measure C,\u201d Arias said, \u201cand forced us to go to the public directly for a ballot measure.\u201d<\/p>\n