San Benito County voters will have an opportunity to support a half-cent sales tax in June that will fix and improve existing roads and eventually help pay to widen Highway 25 over 30 years if approved.
The proposed half-cent sales tax recommended by the Council of San Benito County Governments (COG) for voter consideration in June is the result of a comprehensive study by staff to address existing roads that need improvement. The COG Board of Directors is comprised of: Chair Tony Boch, Vice Chair Ignacio Velazquez, Directors Anthony Botelho, Victor Gomez and Jerry Muenzer representing the cities of San Juan Bautista, Hollister and San Benito County. The COGÂ board unanimously supports the proposed implementation of a county-wide half cent sales tax to improve and maintain existing roads in the county.
San Benito County roads, which include the city of Hollister, San Juan Bautista and part of Aromas, are capital assets comprising an important part of local government’s critical infrastructure that require re-investment to construct, widen, extend and maintain to support public safety and the transport of commuters into and out of the county. If we don’t support the tax then we support the continued deterioration of roads and highways that we, as a community, are responsible to maintain and improve.
COG commissioned a voter survey which had a generally favorable response from community members. A majority of respondents recognize and support the need to implement a half cent sales tax to improve existing roads and expand the transit system to and from Gilroy and, potentially, Salinas.
The following question was crafted to measure potential support for a transportation sales tax measure:
“Shall the voters authorize implementing the San Benito County Transportation Safety and Investment Plan to:
- Maintain roads and repair potholes;
- Improve safety and traffic flow on Highway 25;
- Improve safety and traffic flow on local roads;
- Increase bicycle and pedestrian safety; and
- Improve transit services for youth, seniors, and people with disabilities
by enacting a half cent sales tax, raising approximately $8 million dollars annually over 30 years, with annual audits by an independent oversight committee?”
About 67 percent of voters – almost exactly the ratio needed to pass the proposed tax pursuant to Prop. 39 – support the implementation of this tax which is consistent with the previous transportation tax voters supported that was approved in 1988.
According to the survey results, the following conclusions could reasonably be drawn:
- The survey shows that a June 2016 transportation tax measure for San Benito County is viable.
- The expenditure plan should include a diversity of investments in roads, highways, bike/pedestrian projects and transit services.
- Communication with voters should focus on the potential benefits of the expenditure plan, while reinforcing the presence of strong accountability components
A vast majority of San Benito County’s population uses Highway 25 and Highway 156 to commute to and from work five days a week. These voters understand existing roadway conditions and the value of enhancing travel safety, travel time reliability, completing a four-lane expressway project on Highway 25, removing traffic bottlenecks and improving state Highway 101 system connectivity.
The best way to meet those transportation and transit goals and objectives will be for voters to support the proposed half cent transportation sales tax this June.Â
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