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BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY STATUS OF THE CURRENT MEASURE B these local funds.Targeted improvements funded EXPENDITURE PLAN through the current expenditure plan such as the new express lane on 1-680 and the widening of 1-238 have Voters in Alameda County have long recognized the relieved congestion on critical county commute need to provide stable and local funding for the corridors.A new Warm Springs BART station will County's transportation needs. In 1986,Alameda soon open in the southern part of the county as the County voters authorized a half-cent transportation beginning of a new connection to Silicon Valley.The sales tax to finance improvements to the county's current plan has supported transit operations, overburdened transportation infrastructure.An even improved the safety of children getting to schools wider margin of voters reauthorized this tax in 2000, throughout the county and funded special with over 81.5%support.Detailed expenditure plans transportation services that provide over 900,000 trips have guided the use of these funds.The current plan for seniors and people with disabilities every year. provides over$100 million each year for essential operations,maintenance and construction of These local funds have also allowed the county to transportation projects. It authorized the expenditure compete effectively for outside funds by providing of funds for the extension of BART to Warm Springs, local matching money.The existing expenditure plan transit operations,rapid bus improvements has attracted supplemental funds of over$3 billion throughout the county,bicycle and pedestrian trails from outside sources for Alameda County and bridges,a countywide Safe Routes to School transportation investments. Program,and specialized transportation services for seniors and people with disabilities. It has also WHY EXTEND AND AUGMENT THE provided congestion relief throughout Alameda SALES TAX MEASURE NOW? County by widening 1-238,constructing the I-680 express lane,improving 1-580 and 1-880,and While the existing measure will remain intact upgrading surface streets and arterial roadways. through 2022,the 2012 Alameda County Transportation Expenditure Plan(TEP)has been Most of the 27 major projects authorized by the developed for three reasons: current expenditure plan have been completed or are under construction,many ahead of schedule.Annual • The capital projects in the existing measure have audits by independent certified public accountants been largely completed,with many projects have verified that 100%of the public funds implemented ahead of schedule.Virtually all of authorized in the current plan have been spent as the project funds in the existing measure are promised. committed to these current projects.Without a new plan, the County will be unable to fund any The current projects and programs are governed by new major projects to address pressing mobility the current Measure B Expenditure Plan. needs. BENEFITS FROM THE CURRENT • Due to the economic recession,all sources of MEASURE B EXPENDITURE PLAN transportation funding have declined.The decline in revenues has had a particularly The current local transportation sales tax has significant impact on transportation services that provided a substantial share of the total funding depend on annual sales tax revenue distributions available for transportation projects in Alameda for their ongoing operations.The greatest County,far exceeding annual state and federal impacts have been to the programs that are most commitments.State and federal sources have important to Alameda County residents: diminished over time,and local sources have come to represent over 60%of the money available for o Reductions in local funding to transit transportation in the county.The current measure has operators,combined with state and federal been indispensible in helping to meet the county's reductions,have resulted in higher fares and growing needs in an era of shrinking resources. less service. The county's ability to keep up with street o Reductions in local funding to programs for maintenance needs,such as filling potholes and seniors and persons with disabilities have repaving roadways,is fundamentally dependent on resulted in cuts in these programs as the