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Home Resource Center In the News Home Greenbelt Alliance in the News |
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Greenbelt Alliance In the News
May 1, 2005 Council looks at proposal to link transportation tax measure, growth control By Barry EberlingFAIRFIELD - The debate continues over whether a possible county transportation sales tax measure should address growth as well as fixing roads. Fairfield City Councilmembers on Tuesday will join the discussion. They'll consider endorsing a platform that, among other things, links spending from a successful transportation tax measure with growth controls. The City Council meets at 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, 1000 Webster St. Fairfield Mayor Karin MacMillan sees a link between growth and highway improvements. A tax measure needs to look at such things as development patterns and encouraging pedestrian-friendly communities, she said. Otherwise, she said, the roads get fixed and become congested again. "You have to get to the root cause of what the problem is," she said. Some money from a sales tax measure would likely go to cities for local roads. The platform says cities should get this money only if they do such things as support a countywide urban limit line. The group called Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions proposed the platform. Among the supporters are county supervisors Duane Kromm and Barbara Kondylis, Kenn Browne of the local Sierra Club, Brent Schoradt of the Greenbelt Alliance and Ernest Kimme of the Solano County Orderly Growth Committee. Meanwhile, various transportation and business leaders are looking at a tax measure. The Solano Transportation Improvement Authority board on May 11 is to discuss whether a measure could be on the November 2005 or 2006 ballot. Suisun City Mayor Jim Spering is helping with the sales tax measure effort. Some of the things that Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions wants are undeliverable, he said. He's concerned about the idea of withholding city transportation money unless cities take certain growth-control steps. "It's contrary to any type of home rule," Spering said. "It's a small group of people who want to tell the cities how to do their growth boundaries." Striking a deal with the Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions advocates could mean losing support for a sales tax from other constituents, Spering said. Polls show people want a tax measure to focus on fixing roads, not land use, he said. "It's a delicate and difficult problem to deal with," Spering said. Looming over the entire discussion is what type of ballot measure could win approval from the required two-thirds of voters. Solano Transportation Authority representatives could meet with the Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions group to see if there is common ground, Spering said. Steps are under way to contact the group, he said. "It's just a matter of how flexible both sides are," Spering said. The Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions platform includes other items besides the growth/transportation link. Among them:
The Benicia City Council adopted the platform by a 3-2 vote in March.
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