8E Consent 2012 0305 - Laserfiche WebLink

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FULFILLING THE PROMISE TO VOTERS In November 2000, Alameda County voters approved Measure B, a half -cent local transportation sales tax, scheduled to sunset in 2022. Virtually all of the major projects promised to and approved by the voters in that measure are either underway or complete. Funds that go to cities and other local jurisdictions to maintain and improve local streets, provide critical transit service and services for seniors and persons with disabilities, as well as bicycle and pedestrian safety projects will continue until the current Measure B expenditure plan ends in 2022. Through careful management, leveraging of other funding opportunities and consensus -based planning, the promises of the 2000 voter -approved measure have been largely fulfilled and essential operations are on- going. While most of the projects promised in Measure B have been implemented or are underway, the need to continue to maintain and improve the County's transportation system remains critically important. Alameda County continues to grow, while funding from outside sources has been cut or has not kept pace. Unless the County acts now to increase local resources for transportation, by 2035, when Alameda County's population is expected to be 24% higher than today, it is anticipated that vehicle miles traveled will increase by 40%: • Average morning rush hour speeds on the county's freeways will fall by 10% • Local roads will continue to deteriorate • Local transit systems will continue to face service cuts and fare increase, and • Biking and walking routes, which are critical to almost every trip, will continue to deteriorate, impacting safety, public health and the environment. This Alameda County Transportation Expenditure Plan (referred to throughout this document as the TEP or the plan) responds to the county's continued transportation needs through the extension and BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY augmentation of a consistent, locally generated and protected funding stream to address the County's transportation needs. A key feature of the local transportation sales tax is that it cannot be used for any purpose other than local transportation needs. It cannot be taken by the State or by any other governmental agency under any circumstance, and over the life of this plan can only be used for the purposes described in the plan, or as amended. The ballot measure supported by this plan augments and extends the existing half -cent sales tax for transportation in Alameda County known as Measure B, authorizing an additional half -cent sales tax through 2022 and extending the full cent in perpetuity. Recognizing that transportation needs, technology, and circumstances change over time, this expenditure plan covers the period from approval in 2012 for an unlimited period unless otherwise terminated by the voters, programming a total of $7.7 billion in new transportation funding in the first thirty years. Voters will have the opportunity to review and approve comprehensive updates to this plan at least once prior to the end of 2042 and every 20 years thereafter. The expenditure plan funds critical improvements to the county's transit network, including expanding transit operations and restoring service cuts and expanding the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system within Alameda County, to move more people on transit. It expands transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities, responding to the needs of an aging population. The plan also funds projects to relieve congestion throughout the county, moving people and goods more efficiently, by supporting strategic investments on I-80, I-580, I-680, I-880, and State Routes 84 and 262. In addition, the plan recognizes growth in bicycle and pedestrian travel by completing major trails and bikeways and making substantial improvements in pedestrian safety and access.