Transportation Agency for Monterey County, California, Sales Tax, Measure X (November 2016)
| Measure X: Monterey County Transportation Agency Sales Tax |
|---|
|
| The basics |
| Election date: |
| November 8, 2016 |
| Status: |
 ApprovedMajority required: 66.67% |
| Topic: |
| Local sales tax Expires in: 30 years |
| Related articles |
| Local sales tax on the ballot November 8, 2016 ballot measures in California Monterey County, California ballot measures District tax on the ballot |
| See also |
A sales tax extension was on the ballot for Monterey County Transportation Agency voters in Monterey County, California, on November 8, 2016. It was approved.
| A yes vote was a vote in favor of imposing an additional 0.375 percent sales tax for 30 years to fund transportation infrastructure projects. |
| A no vote was a vote against imposing an additional 0.375 percent sales tax for 30 years to fund transportation infrastructure projects. |
A two-thirds (66.67%) vote was required for the approval of this measure.
Election results
| Measure X | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 87,915 | 67.71% | ||
| No | 41,924 | 32.29% | ||
- Election results from Monterey County Elections Office
Text of measure
Ballot question
The following question appeared on the ballot:[1]
| “ |
Shall the Transportation Agency for Monterey County fund a transportation safety and investment plan to: improve safety on local roads and highways; repair potholes; maintain streets and roads; reduce traffic congestion; improve transportation for seniors, young people, and people with disabilities; and make walking and biking safer, by enacting a three-eighths percent sales tax, raising approximately twenty million dollars annually over 30 years, plus state and federal matching funds, with citizen oversight and annual independent audits?[2] |
” |
Impartial analysis
The following impartial analysis of the measure was prepared by the office of the Monterey County Counsel:
| “ |
Approval of this measure will authorize the Transportation Agency for Monterey County (“TAMC”) to levy a retail tax on transactions and use, commonly known as a “sales” tax. The tax will be three-eighths of one percent (3/8 of 1%). The tax would be imposed county-wide. The tax shall not exceed thirty years. The purpose of the tax is to fund transportation and safety improvements. The projects that may be funded are included in the TAMC Transportation Safety and Investment Plan (“Plan”). TAMC is a public agency, separate from the County of Monterey or any city, but with a governing board composed of representatives of the County and every city within the County. TAMC is responsible for regional transportation planning and projects. Projects in the Plan to be funded by the tax include road and highway maintenance, pothole repair, disability access, senior citizen access and safety, biking and walking safety, and traffic congestion mitigation. Proceeds of the tax shall be used to implement the Plan and salaries and benefits paid from the tax shall not exceed 1% of revenue raised. Independent audits of the Plan will be required and a Citizen Oversight Committee shall be formed. Under the Plan, 60% of the revenue will be dedicated to local road maintenance, pothole repair and safety. Regional safety and mobility projects will receive 40% of the revenue. Local funding will be divided between County and city projects. The cities and the County will be required to also continue expending from their general fund for transportation projects as maintenance of effort. TAMC will be required to annually report on the revenue raised and expended as well as the status of transportation projects authorized. The TAMC Board as well as the city councils and County Board of Supervisors have approved the Plan and this tax measure. According to TAMC, gas taxes are the major funding source for transportation projects and it has not been raised in over 20 years. Those tax revenues are not keeping up with transportation demands. This measure was placed on the ballot by the Board of TAMC. The tax proposed to be levied is a special tax as defined by the state constitution and statute. This measure requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the electorate for passage. A “yes” vote on this measure is a vote in favor of levying a 3/8 of 1% sales tax for transportation project purposes as set forth in the full-text of the measure. A “no” vote on this measure is a vote against the levying a 3/8 of 1% sales tax for the transportation project purposes set forth in the full-text of the measure.[2] |
” |
| —Monterey County Counsel[3] | ||
Full text
The full text of the measure is available here.
Support
Supporters
The following individuals signed the official argument in favor of the measure:[3]
- Janet Brennan, League of Women Voters of Monterey County, President
- Julie Packard, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Executive Director
- Norman C. Groot, Monterey County Farm Bureau, Executive Director
- Denyse Frischmuth, Communities for Sustainable Monterey County, President
- Richard Deal, Traffic Safety Engineer
Arguments in favor
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in favor of the measure:[3]
| “ |
Monterey County roads are in terrible shape! Our transportation system desperately needs safety upgrades and repairs. Measure X will make our streets safer for everyone, fill potholes, and repair roads throughout the county to address critical needs. Measure X is the result of careful planning by traffic safety engineers in collaboration with community leaders. This detailed safety, road repair and transportation plan has been approved by every city in Monterey County and all five County Supervisors. Specifically, Measure X will:
Measure X is a prudent plan with strong accountability and taxpayer safeguards. The plan requires a strict citizens’ oversight committee and annual independent audits to ensure funds are spent properly. We cannot count on state or federal funding for the critical repairs and improvements outlined in this plan – we need to help ourselves. All Measure X funds will stay local—they cannot be taken by the State. In addition, Measure X will allow Monterey County to qualify for matching funds, potentially doubling our investment. Join community leaders, youth, seniors, businesses, taxpayer advocates, agriculture, hospitality and environmental leaders and every city in Monterey County in supporting Measure X. Help protect our quality of life with improvements to safety, roads, paths, commutes, and bus service. Visit YesonXforSafeRoads.com to learn more about our detailed transportation safety and investment plan. Vote YES on X.[2] |
” |
Opposition
Opponents
The following individuals signed the official argument against the measure:[3]
- Mike Weaver, Co-Chair, Ford Ord Community Advisory Group FOCAG
- Lawrence Samuels, Vice Chair, Seaside Tax Payers Association
- Douglas M. Kasunich, Contractor
- Felix Bachofner, Former Seaside Mayor
- Franci Weaver, Retired
Arguments against
Official argument
The following official argument was submitted in opposition to the measure:[3]
| “ |
Vote "NO" on Measure X. Measure X is an expensive step in the wrong direction. If TAMC is to serve a useful purpose, it needs to improve traffic congestion overall, without taking more from taxpayers. According to a CalTrans audit in 2014, TAMC failed to follow standard procurement procedures, mismanaging contracts totaling $9.4 million! Because of this, in 2015, TAMC agreed to make payments to California Department of Transportation for ten years. This proposed tax seems like we are now asked to “bail out” TAMC’s mismanagement. TAMC once had a better plan to fund traffic improvements, requiring industry and businesses to contribute. This was abandoned and now TAMC wants taxpayers to directly pay almost everything with Measure X, while the others contribute little or nothing at all. It is even worse for those in lower income brackets, as sales taxes are highly regressive. This 30-year tax hike with a loose, ill-defined spending plan offers little road improvement overall, and may make some traffic problems worse. Many taxpayers will not outlive this tax. Are we being fair to our younger residents with this measure? Taxpayers are already paying taxes to fund transportation needs. Fuel taxes are an example of such income to state and local governments. Monterey County spends very little of the property tax money it receives from its residents on roads and road maintenance. Measure X would increase the sales tax rate countywide for 30 years to fund only part of TAMC's flawed $600,000,000 spending plan. That's about $1,400 per man, woman, and child. Can you afford it? TAMC's plan doesn't set work priorities until a year after we open our wallets. The tax is a blank check for future spending. TAMC can do better, but they won't have to unless you vote "NO" on Measure X. www.VoteNoOnX.com[2] |
” |
Path to the ballot
This measure was put on the ballot through a vote of the governing officials of Monterey County Transportation Agency, California.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Monterey County Transportation Agency Local sales tax. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
|
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Monterey County Elections, "Notice of Local Measures," accessed October 24, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Monterey County Elections, "Voter Guide," accessed October 24, 2016
| |||||
