8E Consent 2012 0305 - Laserfiche WebLink

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STATUS OF THE CURRENT MEASURE B EXPENDITURE PLAN Voters in Alameda County have long recognized the need to provide stable and local funding for the County's transportation needs. In 1986, Alameda County voters authorized a half -cent transportation sales tax to finance improvements to the county's overburdened transportation infrastructure. An even wider margin of voters reauthorized this tax in 2000, with over 81.5% support. Detailed expenditure plans have guided the use of these funds. The current plan provides over $100 million each year for essential operations, maintenance and construction of transportation projects. It authorized the expenditure of funds for the extension of BART to Warm Springs, transit operations, rapid bus improvements throughout the county, bicycle and pedestrian trails and bridges, a countywide Safe Routes to School Program, and specialized transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities. It has also provided congestion relief throughout Alameda County by widening I-238, constructing the I-680 express lane, improving I-580 and I-880, and upgrading surface streets and arterial roadways. Most of the 27 major projects authorized by the current expenditure plan have been completed or are under construction, many ahead of schedule. Annual audits by independent certified public accountants have verified that 100% of the public funds authorized in the current plan have been spent as promised. The current projects and programs are governed by the current Measure B Expenditure Plan. BENEFITS FROM THE CURRENT MEASURE B EXPENDITURE PLAN The current local transportation sales tax has provided a substantial share of the total funding available for transportation projects in Alameda County, far exceeding annual state and federal commitments. State and federal sources have diminished over time, and local sources have come to represent over 60% of the money available for transportation in the county. The current measure has been indispensible in helping to meet the county's growing needs in an era of shrinking resources. The county's ability to keep up with street maintenance needs, such as filling potholes and repaving roadways, is fundamentally dependent on these local funds. Targeted improvements funded through the current expenditure plan such as the new express lane on I-680 and the widening of I-238 have relieved congestion on critical county commute corridors. A new Warm Springs BART station will soon open in the southern part of the county as the beginning of a new connection to Silicon Valley. The current plan has supported transit operations, improved the safety of children getting to schools throughout the county and funded special transportation services that provide over 900,000 trips for seniors and people with disabilities every year. These local funds have also allowed the county to compete effectively for outside funds by providing local matching money. The existing expenditure plan has attracted supplemental funds of over $3 billion from outside sources for Alameda County transportation investments. WHY EXTEND AND AUGMENT THE SALES TAX MEASURE NOW? While the existing measure will remain intact through 2022, the 2012 Alameda County Transportation Expenditure Plan (TEP) has been developed for three reasons: The capital projects in the existing measure have been largely completed, with many projects implemented ahead of schedule. Virtually all of the project funds in the existing measure are committed to these current projects. Without a new plan, the County will be unable to fund any new major projects to address pressing mobility needs. • Due to the economic recession, all sources of transportation funding have declined. The decline in revenues has had a particularly significant impact on transportation services that depend on annual sales tax revenue distributions for their ongoing operations. The greatest impacts have been to the programs that are most important to Alameda County residents: o Reductions in local funding to transit operators, combined with state and federal reductions, have resulted in higher fares and less service. o Reductions in local funding to programs for seniors and persons with disabilities have resulted in cuts in these programs as the