Concord To Lose $3M Annually If SB1 Gas Tax Repealed: City

NEWS SUBMITTED FROM THE CITY OF CONCORD:

CONCORD, CA – The City of Concord stands to lose approximately $3 million annually if voters this November pass the statewide ballot measure Proposition 6, which would repeal the SB 1 gas tax.

“During the recession, we had to defer maintenance on our streets because the funding simply wasn’t there,” said Concord’s Director of Public Works Justin Ezell. “Our residents have told us that enhancing streets and fixing potholes is their number one priority. If we lose SB 1 funding, our roads will continue to deteriorate and the cost of fixing them will increase over time.”

As part of the current two-year budget cycle, Concord has budgeted nearly $6 million in SB 1-funded roadway improvement projects that would not proceed if voters decide to withdraw this revenue source.

Enacted in 2017, SB 1 generates more than $5 billion per year in transportation funding statewide, including over $390 million per year for the Bay Area, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Prior to this bill being approved by the legislature and signed by the governor, California had not raised the gas tax since 1994.

SB 1 was intended to restore conditions of both highways and local roads, and provide new funding for public transportation and traffic congestion reduction.

Concord’s current pavement condition index (PCI) is rated as 60 or “fair.” If maintenance is further deferred, experts say the PCI will continue to decline and it will be even more expensive to repair the City’s roadways in the future.

To help residents understand what SB 1 funding is and which roadway improvement projects may not move forward, the City has set up a new web page: www.cityofconcord.org/SB1.

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--Image via City of Concord