|
In This Issue...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transportation Projects Hang in the Balance
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transportation Projects Hang in the Balance
Funding Plan Succumbs to Economic Woes, Shrinking Public Support
By Aldwin Fajardo
Santa Cruz County will be stuck in traffic for a while without much hope on the horizon. Likewise, road repairs, alternative transportation projects and rail service will likely have to wait until county transportation officials can agree on a funding measure for voters to consider.
On Feb. 7, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation commissioners rejected plans to put on the ballot a half-cent sales tax increase measure originally considered to fund transport-related infrastructures.
That’s one item less in county voters’ list of things to think about come November 2008. The commission cited economic slowdown and shrinking public support as the main reasons behind its decision to defer action on the sales tax hike measure. The plan could have generated $600 million in funding for transportation projects that include highway widening, rail service, future connections, senior/disabled transit options, road improvements, and neighborhood safety projects.
Capitola Mayor Kirby Nicol points out that there is “little real” reason to believe such a ballot initiative could muster the required two-thirds vote to pass.
“The unfortunate reality is that we live in a county that is politically paralyzed. Everyone holds a passionate position on everything, making it hard to get anything done,” he said.
Nicol raised the possibility of splitting the half-cent tax ballot measure into two quarter-cent propositions â€" one focused on Highway 1 improvements and the other on alternative transit solutions.
However, an online survey of Santa Cruz County voters conducted by RTC disclosed that there is greater support for a balanced package than for individual projects. Polls also showed that that the highway and rail projects each generate both strong support and strong opposition.
RTC Worried about Economy
RTC spokesperson Karena Pushnik says the pronounced economic slowdown and the increase in jobless rates translate to financial insecurity among voters, which make any tax hike measures impossible to pass.
This means that the Feb. 7 decision virtually sealed the fate of the funding measure proposed by the Transportation Funding Task Force, which was created in the wake of a failed similar plan in 2004.
“It’s probably the end of the rope for it,” says County Supervisor Ellen Pirie, although she remains optimistic that a more acceptable revenue-generating source will be identified soon.
Pirie is pinning hopes that the 6-6 vote on Nicol’s motion to reconsider the tax measure in a different format mirrors RTC’s willingness to mull over alternative funding plans. The recent proposal was the result of a year-long task force convened by Santa Cruz County Treasurer and former California Assembly member Fred Keeley. Keeley had arm wrestled the group into adopting and passing a proposal by a super majority; however there clearly was a lack of unanimous agreement.
Commissioners to Continue Hwy. 1 Expansion Study
Pirie said that it is impossible to finance a huge undertaking such as the Highway 1 expansion project without local funding, since federal contributions are small and inconsistent.
Pirie emphasized the need to address traffic congestion problems and other transportation-related concerns in the county. Recent reports have noted that average traffic speeds on Highway 1 could drop from about 40 mph to less than 20 mph if the thoroughfare isn’t expanded.
With that in mind, Pirie said that at the Feb. 7 meeting the RTC did vote to allocate $5.5 million in State Transportation Improvement Program funds through Fiscal Year 2012-2013 for the environmental review of the Highway 1 expansion project and roadway repairs on five local streets and roads.
|
