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SLOCOG outlines proposed half-cent transportation sales tax; Paso Robles to get an estimated $2.1M/year local share
Summary
SLOCOG staff previewed a proposed countywide half-cent sales tax that would raise roughly $35M per year; the plan (if placed on a ballot and approved by two-thirds of voters) would allocate about 55% to local agencies and 40% to regional corridor projects and includes a 30‑year sunset and oversight safeguards.
San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) staff presented a draft transportation expenditure plan Tuesday that would place a countywide half-cent sales tax measure on a future ballot if member agencies agree to proceed.
Kendall Flint of EKS Associates, presenting for SLOCOG, told the Paso Robles City Council that the draft measure is intended to generate an average of about $35 million per year countywide. Under the current draft, about 55% of proceeds would be distributed to local agencies by population, 40% would fund regional corridor projects (allocated by the county’s four subregions), 4% would support senior/disabled/veteran mobility services, and administration would be capped at 1%.
Flint emphasized that local agencies retain control of their local shares and that the measure is designed to leverage state and federal grant programs by making projects "shovel ready." "The current plan has 55% of that money going to local agencies... Each is getting percentage based on population," Flint said.
Why it matters: If approved by a two-thirds vote of county voters, the measure would allow San Luis Obispo County to access self-help funding opportunities available to other counties, increasing local capacity to plan major corridor projects and to match state‑ and federal grant funds. Flint said Paso Robles’ estimated local share would be roughly $2.1 million per year and the North County regional pot would be nearly $5 million per year for regional corridor projects.
Public concerns and oversight: Online commenter Linda George asked why voters should approve a 30-year tax with no earlier sunset and expressed concern about regional control of funds. Flint and SLOCOG staff responded that the measure includes a 30-year term (a sunset at 30 years), annual reporting, a citizens’ oversight committee with representatives from each jurisdiction, and a requirement that measure funds be spent only on the categories listed in the expenditure plan. "Paso Robles money cannot go to Arroyo Grande or to anybody else," Flint said.
Process and timing: SLOCOG staff plan community outreach through early 2026, will present an updated ordinance and expenditure plan to the SLOCOG board in February, and, if the board proceeds, will ask the County Board of Supervisors to place the measure on the November ballot. Flint noted that if voters approve it, collections would start in 2027 and the measure would have a 30‑year term with a 10‑year review built into the plan.
Council reaction: Councilmembers asked technical questions about local discretion for local shares and whether funds can be banked or swapped regionally; Flint replied local shares are under each agency’s control and can be banked for larger projects or swapped via interagency agreement. Councilmembers generally expressed interest in further review and requested staff coordination with SLOCOG on planned language and outreach.
Next steps: The council received the presentation and will consider SLOCOG’s subsequent ordinance and expenditure plan materials when returned; any placement on a ballot will require future council action and the two-thirds voter threshold for passage.
