 | | | Petition Co-Chairs Ann Burns and Traci Reilly with Committee Co-Chair
Guy Atwood Photo C. Tyson
| | | | | | Don't be afraid, that really isn't someone selling magazines on your front porch. Committee Co-Chairs Guy Atwood and John Hall are just ramping up the Fix Our Roads campaign. Their goal is to gather the 2,000 signatures necessary to get a road repair initiative on the November ballot; the signed petition would need to get to the City Council by approximately July 1 to be included on the ballot.
They propose a flat tax of $89 per equivalent residential parcel, for a period of ten years or less, to repair the City's remaining failed public roads and drains. If the measure gets on the ballot and passes, the City Council has committed to contributing $3 million to the road repair effort.
"We sent out a postcard about a week and a half ago to those people living on failed roads and recently repaired roads to alert them that we would be collecting signatures shortly," said Atwood. This will be the first test for the proposed measure - if residents on failed roads aren't willing to support the measure, that's as far as it will go, said Atwood.
In 2007 a measure came close, with 63.6% of the vote, but didn't garner the 66.6% required by law. This effort is different - the tax amount is $89 compared with $150, and tax timeframe is ten years, rather than a thirty year bond repayment schedule. Commercial properties and apartment buildings will pay their fair share, and there will be no bonds, no debt and no interest.
The Acalanes Valley Homeowners Association, the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and the Lafayette Homeowners Council are supporting the proposed measure.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA