Hollister
– San Benito County’s Council of Governments voted Thursday
night to support statewide Propositions 1A and 1B, which would
raise and secure funding for transportation infrastructure.
Hollister – San Benito County’s Council of Governments voted Thursday night to support statewide Propositions 1A and 1B, which would raise and secure funding for transportation infrastructure.
Members of the COG Board of Directors said the bond could provide additional funding for some important projects, but COG legislative analyst Mike Graves warned that intense lobbying from other jurisdictions could decrease the county’s chances of getting money.
“We saw that it was important to have a resolution to let people know we support the propositions and that we’d like their support as well,” COG Interim Executive Director Bob Davies told the Free Lance.
Prop. 1A, according to the state’s legislative analysis, would make it more difficult to use Prop. 42 gasoline tax revenues for nontransportation purposes. It would have no direct revenue or cost effects, and Davies said it was “easy to support.”
Prop. 1B, on the other hand, would cost the state about $38.9 billion over 30 years in bond repayments, the state’s analysis said. That money is intended for safety improvements and repairs to state highways, freeway upgrades to reduce congestion, local street and road repairs, highway upgrades along major transportation corridors, seismic safety improvements on local bridges, public transit expansion, completion of the state’s network of carpool lanes and the improvement of anti-terrorism security at shipping ports.
When asked why she supported the propositions, Board Chair Pat Loe said, “(I support it) because it will put quite a pot of money into transportation, and the county has projects that could definitely benefit.”
Davies said the county’s two eligible projects involve extending Highway 156 through the gap between San Juan Bautista and Union Road and expanding Highway 25. Highway 25, he said, ties into the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s plans to expand Route 101.
But the 156 extension is “more competitive,” Davies added, because the project already has funding for all stages except construction.
The project, he said, meets the bond’s requirements because it will “rebuild infrastructure, improve mobility and get results by 2012.”
At Thursday’s meeting, Graves told the Board that he was concerned that a number of other transportation agencies were lobbying the California Transportation Commission, which would distribute the funds, and that those agencies might come out ahead when the money gets passed out.
“You’re seeing jurisdictions go straight to commission members,” he said.
Graves also argued that COG needs to make sure it has a “Plan B” in case the propositions don’t pass or it doesn’t receive the funding it needs.
When asked about Graves’ statements, Davies said COG has never assumed it will get the bond money. The funds, he said, would speed up the process, but they are not crucial.
“The bonds are a new opportunity,” Davies said. “Without that new opportunity, we’d still be progressing, still pursuing funding.”
Davies also said if Proposition 1B passes, the money will be distributed in a “very equitable” fashion dependent on population and demand.
“I will tell you this: if the propositions passes, there is just as much a chance that we’ll get our ‘fair share’ – and that’s your term, not mine – as there is today,” he said.
Board member Anthony Botelho said San Benito’s cooperation with neighboring counties would increase its chances for funding.
“If it stands alone, the county will not get its fair share,” he said. “But if we start working with our regional partners – which we’ve made significant strides in doing – we’ll get our share.”
Board members Loe, Botelho, Robert Scattini and Pauline Valdivia voted for the resolution in support of the propositions. Before the vote, George Dias apologized to his fellow board members and made it clear that he would be voting “no.”
Loe asked if Dias would like to convince the Board, but he laughed and said, “Why?”
Dias later said he opposes the propositions because he will not support “paving over San Juan Valley.”
He added, “The bottom line is, I’m not going to vote for anything that’s going to help with the gap project.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
ah*@fr***********.com
.
