HomeMy WebLinkAbout65-20RESOLUTION 65-20
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE
TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS OPPOSING THE VALLEY TRANSPORTATION
AUTHORITY'S 2016 MEASURE B 10 -YEAR OUTLOOK BASE SCENARIO
WHEREAS, in 2016, the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors placed
before the voters of Santa Clara County Measure B, a one-half cent sales tax measure operative
for 30 years that would fund nine program categories, with the primary goals to provide meaningful
congestion relief throughout the County and improve road pavement conditions; and,
WHEREAS, the nine program categories include in the 2016 Measure B are: Local Streets and
Roads, BART Phase II, Bicycle/Pedestrian, Caltrain Grade Separation, Caltrain Corridor Capacity
Improvements, Highway Interchanges, County Expressways, State Route 85 Corridor, and Transit
Operations; and,
WHEREAS, BART Phase II is just one of the nine programs authorized in the Measure and is
limited to a maximum of 25 percent of the total Measure B revenues; and,
WHEREAS, in November 2020, VTA administration began presenting VTA Board of Directors'
advisory committees with a proposed 2016 Measure B 10 -Year Outlook Base Scenario, covering
program allocations for Fiscal Year 2022 to Fiscal Year 2032, that contain built-in assumptions
that are unacceptable to the Town of Los Altos Hills; and,
WHEREAS, the built-in assumptions are that the BART Phase II project is the highest priority
for the next ten years, providing it with first call on the Measure B revenues, and that minimal
bonding will be used to fund BART Phase II, which results in little to no Measure B funding being
available for the majority of the other Measure B programs during this 10 -year period; and,
WHEREAS, under the Base Scenario, the six program areas that are currently identified for zero
Measure B funding over the 10 -year period are Local Streets and Roads, Caltrain Grade
Separation, Caltrain Corridor Capacity Improvements, Highway Interchanges, County
Expressways, and State Route 85 Corridor; and,
WHEREAS, this approach is inconsistent with the promises made to voters in 2016 because it
will not result in meaningful progress being made for all nine programs over the first fifteen years
of the measure, rather, progress will be deferred on most programs until the second fifteen years
of the measure which violates voters' and taxpayers' trust and expectations in approving the
Measure; and,
WHEREAS, in approving Measure B, voters countywide agreed to pay an increased half cent
sales tax for thirty years, thereby instituting one of the highest sales tax rates in the Bay Area and
State, yet under the proposed 2016 Measure B 10 -Year Outlook Base Scenario only a small portion
of the County will benefit and the bulls of the county taxpayers will be paying increased taxes and
see few significant benefits for a ten-year period; and,
Resolution 65-20 Page 1
WHEREAS, eliminating and/or significantly reducing investments in the other programs will
result in worsening congestion throughout the entire County, worsening pavement conditions
throughout the entire county, increased costs due to project delays, and increased delays for long
lead-time projects; and,
WHEREAS, front -loading BART Phase II as proposed in the 2016 Measure B 10 -Year Outlook
Base Scenario programs the project to receive nearly 2 billion in tax revenues (presumably in
inflation-adjusted year of expenditure dollars), without providing similar inflation-adjusted
funding for other programs, and notwithstanding the fact that anticipated tax revenues are down
(thereby reducing the 25 percent share); and,
WHEREAS, it is imperative that the Measure B 10 -Year Outlook serve the needs of the entire
county to the greatest extent possible and not be focused on a single project to the exclusion of the
other essential Measure B programs; and,
WHEREAS, the VTA Board of Directors should consider a range of options for the BART Phase
II projects so other Measure B programs also receive funding during this ten-year period, including
approaches such as more aggressive bonding, borrowing other funds, and/or using other funding
sources for BART Phase II, as well as the possibility of further phasing or slowing the BART
Phase II project.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the Town of Los Altos Hills
urges the VTA Board of Directors to support a Measure B 10 -Year Outlook that balances
investments among all nine Measure B programs, including avoiding minimizing reductions in the
annual formula programs (Local Streets and Roads, Bicycle/Pedestrian, and Transit Operations)
and maintaining progress for the capital projects in the other programs that are already under way
during this ten-year period, thereby ensuring countywide benefits as promised in the 2016 ballot
measure.
The above and foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted by the City Council of the Town of
Los Altos Hills at a regular meeting held on the 17th day of December, 2020 by the following vote:
AYES: Wu, Tankha, Corrigan, Spreen, Tyson
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: None
ATTEST:
Deborah L. Padovan, City Cleric
By:
Michel ayor
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