Fresno City Hall, as seen on July 15, 2026. David Taub The Fresno Bee <\/p>\n
With Measure C set to expire next year, would Fresno consider its own tax to keep revenues flowing for transportation projects?<\/p>\n
Maybe \u2014 but it will be difficult, Mayor Jerry Dyer told The Fresno Bee on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to be the appetite for somebody pursuing a general fund tax for the city of Fresno, especially in these economic times, when they already know that there\u2019s going to be a measure on the March 2028 ballot for transportation,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n
Measure C, the countywide sales tax dedicated to transportation projects, expires June 30. An attempt to place a successor tax on the November ballot \u2014an initiative called Better Roads, Safe Streets, and backed by Dyer \u2014 appears to have stalled.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors ordered a study on the tax<\/a>. The study would not be ready until after Aug. 7, the deadline to place an item on the ballot.<\/p>\n One complication for a city transportation tax is that the countywide tax plan will still be on the ballot, albeit delayed. Without that factor, Dyer said a Fresno-only tax \u201cwould be a much more realistic pursuit.\u201d The measure will still be decided by voters, but not until March 7, 2028. That could leave at least an eight-month gap of no transportation funding from a local measure.<\/p>\n The Fresno Council of Governments estimated Fresno received $32 million in Measure C funds in 2023-24.<\/p>\n If the city pursues a general fund tax, it only needs a majority to pass. A government-led measure where money is for a specific purpose, such as transportation, it needs two-thirds to pass, a \u201cvery difficult\u201d threshold, Dyer said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to put this city or the people of Fresno through something that is just not going to happen,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n Clock ticking if Fresno-only tax pursued<\/p>\n If Fresno does pursue a tax plan, the clock is ticking. The last Fresno City Council meeting before the Aug. 7 deadline is July 30. The agenda publishes July 24.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would have to really do some incredible scrambling, although I\u2019m very confident our city attorney could do that. I just don\u2019t know if there is an appetite to do that at this time. I don\u2019t want to do anything that\u2019s going to be half-baked,\u201d Dyer said.<\/p>\n Formulating the Better Roads, Safe Streets plan took nearly a year, Dyer said.<\/p>\n Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza said he could be on board.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m open to considering a stopgap measure for the city, perhaps something that would expire upon renewal of a countywide transportation tax,\u201d Esparza said. \u201cIt\u2019s a short time frame, but it can be done.\u201d<\/p>\n The Fresno City Council on June 18 unanimously passed a resolution supporting Better Roads, Safe Streets. But, placing a city tax measure on the ballot could provide another complication. Three of the seven councilmembers are running for election in November \u2014 Mike Karbassi for Fresno County supervisor, Annalisa Perea for state Assembly and Esparza for the state Board of Equalization.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it always complicates things,\u201d Dyer said, \u201cwhen you have people who are running for office; people that are, you know, concerned about that being used against them in a campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n