Half-Cent Sales Tax Is Driving Force Behind Local Transportation Improvements
Feb. 8, 2013
ORANGE – The Measure M Taxpayers Oversight Committee (TOC) is conducting its 22nd annual public hearing on Measure M. Measure M is administered by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and is a half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements that was approved by voters in 1990 and renewed by a vote of nearly 70 percent in 2006.
The hearing is set for 6 p.m., Tuesday Feb. 12 at OCTA headquarters, 600 S. Main St. in Orange. During the hearing the public will be able to provide comments in regards to Measure M projects.
The independent, 11-member oversight committee was formed to monitor OCTA’s use of Measure M funding, approve changes to the Measure M plan and hold annual public hearings on the expenditure of funds generated by Measure M.
For more than 20 years Measure M has been the major force behind traffic congestion relief in Orange County and it has made possible more than $4 billion worth of transportation improvements. Hundreds of local projects that impact residents on a daily basis have been completed. This includes improvements to nearly every freeway, widened streets, synchronized traffic signals and improved intersections. Measure M also made possible Metrolink commuter-rail service in Orange County.
Recruitment efforts for committee openings will begin in April. Orange County residents over 18 living in the First, Third, Fourth and Fifth Supervisorial Districts are eligible to apply for a three-year term. Potential committee members should demonstrate a history of participating in community activities with an ideal emphasis on transportation. The Grand Jurors Association of Orange County conducts the recruitment program and recommends qualified candidates for membership.
For more information about Measure M or the Taxpayers Oversight Committee, visit www.octa.net/TOC.
To provide comments about Measure M, go to www.octa.net/toc_mpublichearing.
