Want better roads? Vote for Measure V

Does it bother you to see your money spent on new roads in Los Angeles?

Does it worry you to know that some 1,400 miles of Merced County’s 2,325 miles of roadways are “at risk” of failure – which means becoming nearly impassable?

Does it surprise you to know that bad roads cost every driver in the county $335 a year in battered suspensions, lower fuel efficiency and damaged tires?

What are you going to do about it?

You can vote for Measure V, the half-cent transportation sales tax initiative near the bottom of the Nov. 8 ballot. Or you can wait for Merced County to gather enough crumbs to patch a road here or seal a street there. The big projects you can just forget about.

Measure V offers a better plan. It will raise some $450 million over the next 30 years – about $180 million for local projects and another $185 million for regional roads.

Consider that the seed money.

With the tax, Merced becomes a self-help county with a list of projects ready to go when the state decides to dole out road money. Having money available is critical, since virtually every state-funded project requires matching investments. The funds coming to Merced County could total $1 billion over the life of the tax.

“We need safer roads throughout the county,” said Mike Carpenter, a member of the Measure V steering committee. “But in places like Dos Palos, Gustine and Winton we need safer roads around our schools; safer roads for our kids.”

Former Merced Mayor Bill Spriggs pointed out that Dos Palos would get $174,000 annually for roads. “Do you know what the total budget for road repairs in Dos Palos is right now,” he asked. “It’s $8,000.”

Virtually every city in Merced County is in a similar situation. The road tax would mean improvements in main arteries and neighborhood streets; money to fix potholes, repave roads, upgrade bridges.

“Right now, we’re in a hole,” said Spriggs. “This puts us in charge of our own destiny.”

As is true in most places, it’s the more affluent voters who have the hardest time embracing a higher sales tax. They seem more reluctant to take a few more pennies out of their pockets to help. This tax amounts to a nickel on a $10 belt, or an extra buck on those $200 boots.

“That’s the frustrating thing,” said Spriggs. “You’d think they’d see the big picture.”

Actually, most do. Sixty-three percent of voters countywide approved a similar measure in 2006. Unfortunately, it fell a few votes shy.

Measure V is on the bubble. For instance, Mayor Mike Villalta would prefer a Los Banos-only measure, saying his city would get more money.

Does he think the roads all end at the Los Banos city limits? Those state and federal matching dollars flow toward projects with regional impact, not for patching cracks. If Los Banos and Livingston concentrate on fixing potholes, the entire county loses.

The sales tax would rise to 8.5 percent in the county’s largest cities, but go to only 8 percent elsewhere – still lower than the vast majority of Californians pay.

It’s interesting to see what residents of self-help counties do when given the chance to abandon this tax. Overwhelmingly, they extend it! In San Joaquin County, 78 percent of voters added another 30 years 2006. Fresno added another 20 years in 2007, while Sacramento, Santa Clara and Los Angeles have all added years to theirs.

Yes, this tax will cost us a few more pennies when we go shopping. But what we’ll get in return are smoother roads, cars that need fewer repairs and a stronger transportation network. It adds up to a smart move. Pass Measure V.

This story was originally published October 21, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Want better roads? Vote for Measure V."