Merced County report says $100M collected from half-cent sales tax. Where’s your money going?
With Measure V marking its fifth year in April, Merced County leaders say the half-cent sales tax has proven instrumental in upgrading local roads, bridges, sidewalks and public transit networks.
The Merced County Association of Governments (MCAG) this week released a fifth anniversary edition of its annual Measure V report, titled On the MoVe. The report highlights that sales tax revenues reached a milestone of $100 million collected.
Measure V was passed by Merced County voters in November 2016 and went into effect the next year. It was passed with the expectation of generating more than $450 million over the next 30 years for the purposes of transportation maintenance and improvements, according to the MCAG website.
The tax is slated to sunset in 2047.
“Measure V has done so much more for local transportation systems in its first five years than we even imagined,” said MCAG Executive Director Stacie Guzman in a news release Wednesday.
“To reach the $100 million milestone as quickly as we have and to see all that has been accomplished throughout the county in only five years is a testament to how much these funds were needed in our region.”
That $100 million has been leveraged toward infrastructure projects aimed at improving transportation across Merced County, the cities of Merced, Atwater, Dos Palos, Gustine, Livingston and Los Banos, as well as The Bus transit system. Funds also went toward large regional transportation projects on both the east and west sides of the county.
Half of all Measure V revenue is allocated to the county and its six cities. Those funds must be used for local transportation improvements and 20% is required to go toward alternative transportation like sidewalk and bike lane projects.
Here’s what Measure V has been funding, according to the report:
- Merced County: About $22 million in revenue received, $14 million expended as of spring 2022. Henry Miller Avenue, Sandy Mush Road, Dickenson Ferry Bridge and Lobo Avenue sidewalk projects have been completed. The Atwater Merced Expressway project is ongoing.
- City of Merced: $9 million in revenue, $6 million expended. Funds have gone toward improvements on Main Street and M Street, as well as sidewalk and pothole repairs.
- Atwater: $4 million in revenue, $514,000 expended. Improvements on Fruitland Avenue and Winton Way have been funded.
- Dos Palos: $1 million in revenue, $150,000 expended. The city is using Measure to repair sidewalks and add bike lanes to roads.
- Gustine: $1 million in revenue, $900,000 expended. The city has become more pedestrian-friendly by repairing damaged sidewalks and adding a new multi-use path to a park.
- Livingston: $2 million in revenue, $800,000 expended. Measure V project shave improved the city’s accessibility through new ADA ramps, sidewalks and a multi-use path.
- Los Banos: $4 million in revenue, $2 million expended. The city upgraded its roads, crosswalks, and sidewalk ramps. A community neighborhood was transformed into a pedestrian-friendly area by modernizing sidewalks.
- Transit: $4 million in revenue, $500,000 expended. Measure V provides free fixed-route transit service countywide to seniors, veterans and ADA eligible passengers on The Bus and other transit services. Funds will be used to transition the Bus’ fleet to electric vehicles, with five new electric buses scheduled to be operate in late 2022.
Future Measure V projects also include phase 1B of the Atwater Merced Expressway that will extend the expressway to Santa Fe Drive, the Pioneer Road project in Los Banos, phase three of the Meredith Avenue multi-use path in Gustine and a complete reconstruction of East Blossom Street in Dos Palos, the report said.
Funds will also be used to acquire the first zero-emission, battery-electric vehicles to add to the The Bus’ fleet.
“There is no doubt that Measure V is a transformative program that will continue to help shape the way we travel within and between our communities for many years to come,” Guzman said in the report.
The complete On the MoVe report is available online on the MCAG’s website or in hard copy at each of the six city halls, the County Administration building and MCAG office.
MCAG, as the designated local transportation authority for Merced County, is responsible for implementing and administering Measure V. MCAG releases monthly updates in an online newsletter that can be found on its website at www.mcagov.org.
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
