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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Date: May 12, 2004
Contact: Jennifer Stone (619) 531-4766

COUNTY FINDS SEVERAL KINKS IN CURRENT TRANSNET PROPOSAL
 Supervisors want larger share of tax revenue allocated to highways

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday to oppose extending the half-cent sales tax intended to relieve traffic congestion throughout the region unless a larger share of the revenue is used for local streets and highway projects.

In addition, Supervisors voted to seek changes to language in the TransNet 40-year extension proposal that Chairwoman Dianne Jacob characterized as "unfair, deceptive and deal breaking." The proposal was drafted by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) and is out for public review.

In a 3-2 vote, Chairwoman Jacob, Vice Chairwoman Slater-Price and Supervisor Bill Horn voted in favor of an allocation formula that would give half of the tax revenue to highway projects and one-third to local streets. SANDAG's proposal calls for allocating less than one-third of the tax revenue to highway projects and less than one-third to local streets and roads.

"The Board's formula is fair and will truly tackle existing congestion problems throughout the region," Jacob said. "It puts the most money where commuters are, on freeways and roads," echoed Horn.

Supervisors also want to modify language that would allow two-thirds of the SANDAG board to make changes to almost all aspects of the proposal including the distribution of revenue and the list of voter-approved congestion relief projects.

As the County representative on the SANDAG Board of Directors, Jacob will ask that the final TransNet proposal prohibit changes to congestion relief projects unless the jurisdiction impacted agrees, along with two-thirds of the SANDAG board.

She will also ask that the final proposal exclude from change the allocation of the TransNet revenue and the list of congestion relief projects.

The next meeting of the SANDAG board of directors is scheduled for May 14 at 10:15 a.m. The address is 401 B Street.