Half-cent sales tax is driving force behind local transportation improvements
ORANGE – The Measure M Taxpayers Oversight Committee is conducting its 23rd annual public hearing on Measure M, Orange County’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements.
Measure M, administered by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), was approved by voters in 1990 and renewed by a vote of nearly 70 percent in 2006. Each year, the committee seeks public input on how funds are being spent.
The public hearing is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday Feb. 11 at OCTA headquarters, 550 S. Main St. in Orange. During the hearing, members of the public will be able to provide comments about 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 an annual public hearing on how Measure M dollars are spent.
For more than 20 years, Measure M has been the major force behind traffic congestion relief in Orange County. The original Measure M made possible more than $4 billion worth of transportation improvements and through 2041, M is expected to generate $14.5 billon to keep Orange County moving.
Hundreds of local projects that impact residents on a daily basis have been completed. These include improvements to every freeway, widened streets, synchronized traffic signals and improved intersections. Measure M also made possible Metrolink commuter-rail service in Orange County.
For those interested in serving on the oversight committee, recruitment efforts for openings will begin in April. Orange County residents over age 18 living in the Second and Third Supervisorial Districts are eligible to apply for a three-year term. Potential committee members should demonstrate a history of participating in community activities, ideally with an 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.
