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Greenbelt Alliance In the News

June 8, 2005

Supes won't weigh in on transportation tax yet

That has been a contentious issue. Transportation tax advocates and growth control advocates met informally last week to start searching for common ground.

Supervisors decided at their meeting it would be bad timing for them wade into the debate.

"We're not looking to sharpen the conflict," Supervisor Duane Kromm said. "We're looking to diffuse it and bring it down."

Transportation advocates are talking about putting together a county half-cent transportation sales measure for this November or the November 2006 ballot - money could pay for such things as fixing the interstates 80 and 680 interchange, widening freeways and highways, improving transit and repairing potholes.

A coalition calling itself "Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions" says a sales tax measure should encourage growth controls. Cities wouldn't be able to get money for road projects unless they did such things as support growth boundaries. The idea is that wider roads can fuel growth in undesired locations.

"Traffic will only get worse unless we plan well for accommodating future growth," said a platform proposed by the group and endorsed by such officials as Kromm, Supervisor Barbara Kondylis and Fairfield Mayor Karin MacMillan.

But most transportation leaders to date have opposed the platform. They don't want to mix the growth controversy into a transportation tax measure.

Transportation leaders and "Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions" leaders met last week to try to reach a compromise. They held a dinner meeting lasting several hours.

Representing "Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions" was Kromm, Vallejo City Councilman Gary Cloutier, Greenbelt Alliance representative Brent Schoradt and resident Eva Leveaustu.

Representing the Solano Transportation Improvement Authority was county Supervisor John Silva, Dixon Mayor Mary Ann Courville, Vallejo Mayor Anthony Intintoli and Rio Vista Mayor Ed Woodruff. The STIA board is the group that is crafting the tax measure.

"It was a good start," Kromm said.

Silva agreed.

By all accounts, the talk centered more on philosophies and concepts than specific proposals to bridge the gap. Finding common ground will take more meetings.

Silva and Kromm both said it's unlikely a compromise can be reached in time for a November ballot measure. That means that transportation leaders will likely have to delay a ballot measure until 2006, if they want to keep the talks with "Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions" going.

Silva said he doesn't think there's time to put together a measure for this year, even without the talks with "Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions."

The proposed transportation tax saga continues tonight. The STIA Board will continue working on a measure. It meets at 7 p.m. at the Suisun City Hall, 701 Civic Center Blvd. However, the meeting could start earlier, depending on when the preceding Solano Transportation Authority board meeting ends.

Reach Barry Eberling at 425-4646 Ext. 232 or at beberling@dailyrepublic.net.

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