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SBCTA updates Twentynine Palms on Measure I funding and seeks local input
Summary
A San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) representative briefed the Twentynine Palms council on Measure I, a half-cent countywide sales tax for transportation. SBCTA said Measure I has funded billions in projects and invited residents to provide input on future priorities.
Luis Vidari of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority presented an overview of Measure I, the countywide half-cent sales tax that funds transportation projects across San Bernardino County. Vidari said Measure I has been a major funding source for local and regional projects and invited public comment and participation in a county survey on future priorities.
Vidari told the council that Measure I, approved originally in 1989 and renewed in 2004, provides a predictable local funding stream. He said that since 2010 Measure I has raised more than $2.5 billion for transportation and contributed more than $700 million for local streets, sidewalks, pothole repairs and traffic signals. Combined with state and federal funds, he said Measure I has helped deliver about $2.9 billion in regional projects and contributed toward the creation of more than 32,000 jobs.
Vidari listed local projects that have benefited from Measure I funds, including citywide pavement maintenance, intersection safety improvements, the Split Rock Road bridge project, the SR-62 street improvement project, and the citywide channel trail system. He also noted taxpayer protections embedded in Measure I: an independent oversight committee and a 1% cap on administrative uses.
Council members asked how the shift to electric vehicles might affect Measure I. Vidari said Measure I is a sales tax and not the gas tax; declining gas-tax revenues are a state-level issue, and Measure I remains valuable because it is locally collected and can be used to leverage state and federal grants.
Vidari encouraged residents to take the SBCTA survey about future Measure I priorities at gosbcta.com/measurei.
