Independent committee finds for 29th consecutive year that OCTA is on track with administering half-cent transportation tax
ORANGE – The Measure M Taxpayer Oversight Committee has determined for the 29th consecutive year that Measure M is being delivered as promised to the voters of Orange County.
The Taxpayer Oversight Committee held its annual Measure M public hearing – this year by teleconference for safety amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic – on June 9. The committee unanimously found that the Orange County Transportation Authority is proceeding in accordance with the ordinances that were first approved by voters in 1990 and renewed by 70 percent of voters in 2006.
The independent, 11-member oversight committee monitors OCTA’s use of Measure M funding, approves all changes to the Measure M plan and holds annual public hearings on the expenditure of funds generated by the sales-tax measure.
“We appreciate the work that the Taxpayer Oversight Committee does to ensure that OCTA is properly administering funds to improve the lives of our residents through Measure M transportation improvements,” said OCTA Chairman Steve Jones, also the Mayor of Garden Grove. “I’m very proud that the committee has determined for the 29th consecutive years that OCTA is delivering on its promises.”
The original Measure M made possible more than $4 billion worth of transportation improvements to help Orange County residents, workers and visitors travel more efficiently throughout all parts of the county.
Since 1990, hundreds of local projects have been completed that help residents travel more easily, including improvements to freeways, widened streets, synchronized traffic signals and improved intersections. Measure M also made possible Metrolink commuter-rail service in Orange County.
The renewed Measure M, also known as OC Go, is expected to generate billions of dollars more to fund transportation improvements through 2041. Measure M revenues have fallen sharply in recent months as many Orange County businesses closed due to the COVID-19 health crisis. OCTA staff continues to analyze and plan for the effects of the reduced revenues. At the same time, all Measure M projects currently underway are continuing.
Freeways receive 43 percent of the funding, streets and roads receive 32 percent and transit receives 25 percent of Measure M dollars.
The freeway program also includes funding for an environmental program that preserves and restores natural habitat and improves water quality.
For more information about Measure M or the Taxpayer Oversight Committee, visit www.octa.net/TOC.
