Merced County trying to woo cities on half-cent tax

Representatives of the Merced County Association of Governments have launched an informational campaign they hope will build support for a sales tax increase to fund transportation projects.

The effort started with a presentation in Livingston, where city leaders have voiced doubts the proposed half-cent sales tax would benefit their community.

The association maintains that if the proposal is put on the November ballot and wins approval, it would raise $450 million over 30 years for local and regional transportation projects.

Leaders in Livingston and Los Banos complain that transportation money historically has been spent on Merced- and Atwater-area projects, leaving projects on the West Side and in smaller cities waiting.

To try to alleviate those feelings, the estimated $199 million generated for regional projects would be split into two pots of $122 million for the east side and $77 million for the western region. The east side would get a larger amount because it has a larger population and more miles of roads, according to Stacie Dabbs, the spokeswoman for the association.

Livingston Councilman Gurpal Samra said he’s warmed to the tax, though he has not made up his mind.

“I’m starting to lean towards it, but I need to (talk) to the people in Livingston,” he said Wednesday. “I got to make sure it makes sense to me and the people I talk to.”

Under the proposal, Livingston would see $368,040 a year, for a total of $11 million in 30 years.

Samra noted that past attempts at such a measure have been successful in Livingston, though they’ve failed on the countywide level.

The proposal has gone before some of the cities in the county, but has recently seen some “minor language” changes, according to Dabbs. The association’s governing board is set to vote on the new language Thursday.

Assuming the governing board approves it, she said, the proposal would go before city councils by the end of May. The majority of city councils with the largest population must approve the proposal along with the Merced County Board of Supervisors before it can be placed on the ballot.

Voters will have the final say, and the measure would need 67 percent of their support in November to be approved. A survey late last year showed about 71 percent of likely voters would support the tax.

Livingston Councilman Alex McCabe said the proposed tax makes sense for the county, but it may be at the expense of its smaller cities. He said the West Side and the county’s smaller cities have less representation on the governing board of the association.

For example, four of the five county supervisors represent at least a portion of Merced or Atwater. In contrast, Los Banos and Livingston are each represented by one supervisor.

“We all want to fix roads, but as local officials, we need to look at what’s best for our cities,” McCabe said Wednesday. “There’s no real assurances that money will come our way.”

This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 6:38 PM with the headline "Merced County trying to woo cities on half-cent tax."