Council: VC Transportation Commission tells of possible gas tax
January 22, 2016
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Ventura County commuters are about to drive off a cliff with unmet immediate needs and dwindling resources for the future transportation projects the City Council was told at the Tuesday, January 19 meeting.
Darren Kettle, executive director of Ventura County Transportation Commission noted that Councilwoman Ginger Gherardi led the agency for 17 years before she retired and now has returned as a VCTC commissioner.
The VCTC he said, does “everything except fix your local pothole,” and the agency is finding it increasingly difficult to fund important transportation projects.
The commission has discussed needs for years and in recent months has concentrated more on funding to alleviate the “Ventura County traffic jam…we’re talking about our jam getting worse on the 101,” with increasing delays that will only worsen in coming years.
Such traffic “Hurts business, hurts tourism,” as do crumbling county and city streets.
Baby Boomers are the “Most mobile generation ever,” but they are now finding their movements impeded by growing traffic.
“We are on a fiscal cliff,” with a $3 billion shortfall for needed projects and improvements due to dwindling state and federal resources as well as a dearth of local funds especially needed for grant matching.
“You can’t compete without a local match,” and Kettle said the situation will “impact our quality of life” if not dealt with.
“Extensive outreach” with repeat voters in recent years has addressed needs and how to pay for them. Necessities and priorities have been identified, ideas such as toll roads, increasing the gas tax at a local level and other measures have been discussed.
Kettle said voters in 20 counties statewide have approved a half-cent gas tax to fund local needs: “We have to help ourselves, it’s time to invest in ourselves,” to better roads and transportation.
Major needs are widening the 101 to Los Angeles and to Highway 33 as well as widening the 118 from Tapo Canyon Road to Los Angeles Avenue, the two major corridors in Ventura County.
The cost of the projects said Kettle would be $1.2 billion.
There must be access improvements to the U.S. Naval Base and Port Hueneme — economic and job generators — and Highway 126 to the 101 must also be improved.
The goal of such a tax would be to “Create sustainable, reliable rail and transit,” with an emphasis on making sure fares “are reasonable rates” for students, seniors and the disabled.
Santa Paula, said Kettle has a shortfall of $22.2 million over the next 30 years to fulfill its needs for streets, bicycle and pedestrian paths and recreational trails.
If such a local gas tax measure passed Kettle said Santa Paula would have that funding that would even fix the potholes that emergency responders have to navigate and delaying vital services.
If a half-cent gas tax measure was “passed today” in Ventura County it would raise $70 million a year, costing each commuter an estimated $1 a week.
A special sales tax requires 67 percent voter approval and Kettle said the VCTC is looking to make a decision on the issue around April, take it to the cities shortly thereafter for approval and placement on the November ballot.
Gherardi asked Kettle to explain the split: approximately 40 percent of the revenue would go to cities and he estimated the city could see up to $800,000 a year from the sales tax.
“Ventura County is the only one in the Ventura Council of Governments region that does not have a tax measure,” said Councilman John Procter.
Kettle agreed noting that such a tax would be under the control of the county as “No one” not the state or federal government, “can take it…”
When voters “see the investments” they respond by extending the tax or even in some cases increasing it.
“I know our roads are lousy, I also know it’s expensive,” said Mayor Martin Hernandez who asked for a future presentation by Interim Public Works Director Brian Yanez to examine how potential revenue would be used on an annual basis.
