Orange County reviews infrastructure surtax plan after Trust for Public Land polling; no consensus to advance in 2026

Orange County commissioners heard a detailed presentation on a proposed local infrastructure surtax on March 2, as staff and a Trust for Public Land consultant outlined projected revenue, voter polling and possible uses ranging from conservation land and stormwater to transit improvements.

The county administrator, Byron Brooks, opened the staff briefing and turned the presentation over to a Trust for Public Land representative, who said a feasibility study and a poll of roughly 800 Orange County voters showed broad support for some surtax uses. The consultant said a full 1% sales surtax would raise an estimated $758 million a year in Orange County while a half-cent would be roughly $379 million a year; the analysis estimated residents would pay about 11% of revenue, with an average household bearing about $169 a year for a 1% levy and about $85 a year for a half-cent levy.

Why it matters: the surtax—if approved by voters—would create a dedicated revenue source the county could use for capital projects such as water-quality and stormwater improvements, parks and land conservation, road resurfacing and transit capital. Staff emphasized that ballot language,…