When new transportation dollars are approved, they should go for transportation and transportation alone. No bait-and-switch. No using transportation dollars for other purposes. The original Measure M went solely for transportation. The Renewed Measure M will be just as airtight.
And there will be no hidden costs in the program.
Prior to allocation of funds for freeway, street and transit projects, one percent of gross revenues from the Renewed Measure M Transportation Investment Plans is set aside for audits, safeguards, and taxpayer protection. By state law, one and one half percent of the gross sales taxes generated by Measure M must be paid to the California State Board of Equalization for collecting the countywide one-half percent sales tax that funds the Transportation Investment Program.
Special Trust Fund
To guarantee transportation dollars are used for transportation purposes, all funds must be kept in a special trust fund. An independent, outside audit of this fund will protect against cheaters who try to use the transportation funds for purposes other than specified transportation uses. A severe punishment will disqualify any agency that cheats from receiving Measure M funds for a five-year period.
The annual audits, and annual reports detailing project progress, will be sent to Orange County taxpayers every year and will be reviewed in public session by a special Taxpayer Oversight Committee that can raise fiscal issues, ask tough questions, and must independently certify, on an annual basis, that transportation dollars have been spent strictly according to the Renewed Measure M Investment Plan.
Back to the Voters
Of course, over the next 30 years, things will change. Minor adjustments can be made by a 2/3 vote of the Taxpayer Oversight Committee and a 2/3 vote of the Orange County Local Transportation Authority Board of Directors. Major changes must be taken back to voters for authorization. And, every ten years, and more frequently if necessary, the Orange County Local Transportation Authority must conduct a thorough examination of the Renewed Measure M Investment Plan and determine if major changes should be submitted to the voters.
There are other important taxpayer safeguards, all designed to insure the integrity of the voterauthorized plans. But each is focused on one goal: guaranteeing that new transportation dollars are devoted to solving Orange County’s traffic problems and that no transportation dollars are diverted to anything else. td>
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