Proposition B: Adjusting Transportation Funding for Population Growth

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League of Women Voters of California Education Fund

San Francisco County, CA

November 4, 2014 Election

Proposition B
Adjusting Transportation Funding for Population Growth
City and County of San Francisco
charter amendment - Majority Approval Required

Pass: 132,650 / 61.39% Yes votes ...... 83,413 / 38.61% No votes

See Also: Index of all Propositions

Information shown below: Summary | Fiscal Impact | Yes/No Meaning | Arguments |

Shall the City amend the Charter to increase the amount the City provides to the Municipal Transportation Agency based on increases in the City's population, with such funds to be used to improve Muni and to improve street safety?

Summary:
Proposition B is a Charter Amendment that would require the City to increase the Base Amount provided to the SFMTA by a percentage equal to the City's annual population increase, taking into account daytime and nighttime populations, as determined by the Controller's office. In 2015, the City would increase the Base Amount based on population increases over the previous 10 years. In future years, the City would increase the Base Amount based on population increases over the previous year.

Proposition B would also require the SFMTA to use 75% of any population-based increases in the Base Amount to improve Muni's reliability, frequency of service, and capacity and to pay for Muni repairs. The other 25% would be used for capital expenditures to improve street safety.

Proposition B would also authorize the Mayor to discontinue the Base Amount increases required by this measure if the voters enact a vehicle license fee in the future.

Fiscal Impact:
City Controller Ben Rosenfield has issued the following statement on the fiscal impact of Proposition B:

Should the proposed charter amendment be approved by the voters, in my opinion, it would have a significant impact on the cost of government. The proposed Charter amendment would, beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2015+16, increase voter-adopted baseline funding for the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) by the percentage growth in the city's population during the past ten years.This amount would be approximately $22 million. The MTA baseline funding amount would continue to be adjusted in future years when city population grows, resulting in additional average annual increases of approximately $1.5 million given historical population growth.The proposed population-based baseline adjustment would be in addition to the existing set-aside baseline funding for the MTA which is tied to growth in the City's overall discretionary revenue.The existing base- line amount will be approximately $256 million by FY2015+16.

The proposed Charter amendment would authorize the Mayor to discontinue the population-based base- line amount if the voters enact a local vehicle license fee to fund transportation in a future election.

The proposed measure would set aside funds for transit system improvements and capital expenditures that would otherwise be available for any public purpose.

A YES vote on this measure means:: If you vote "yes," you want to change the Charter to increase the amount the City provides to the SFMTA based on increases in the City's population.These funds must be used to improve Muni and to improve street safety.
A NO vote on this measure means:: If you vote "no," you do not want to make this change.

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Arguments For Proposition B Arguments Against Proposition B

Prop B ties transportation funding to population growth and is a common sense step toward a better transportation system.
San Francisco's population is growing, but our transportation system isn't keeping up. Muni is unreliable and over-crowded; our congested roads are getting more dangerous. Prop B, by taking that growth into account, will make Muni more reliable and our streets safer.
Muni doesn't have enough vehicles, and its vehicles break down frequently. Muni riders pay the price when buses don't arrive and when the ones that do arrive are so crowded you can't get on. Muni has over $2 billion in deferred maintenance, and that number will grow unless we make smart investments. When Muni fails, riders suffer, our streets become more congested with cars, and our environment gets more polluted.
With increasing congestion, our streets become more dangerous, particularly for pedestrians. We've had too many pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
As our population increases - it's gone up by 85,000 people since 2003 and will grow another 150,000 by 2040 - our commitment to public transportation and street safety must also grow. We need to shore up Muni and expand its capacity to carry passengers. Otherwise, the system will continue to decline, fewer people will take transit, and we'll have more cars on our streets, causing congestion, collisions, and pollution.
Prop B will provide new investment in our transportation system. 75% of Prop B's funds will be used for investments to improve Muni's reliability, frequency of service, and passenger capacity. 25% will be dedicated to make our streets safer. When combined with the critically important transportation bond (Prop A), we can make real progress.
Vote yes on Prop B for better transportation and a cleaner environment.

The Board of Supervisors and other elected public officials should be given the duty to make complex political choices.

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Created: July 23, 2015 14:58 PDT
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