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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/5/2024 Item 7a, Horn - Staff Agenda CorrespondenceCity of San Luis Obispo, Council Memorandum City of San Luis Obispo Council Agenda Correspondence DATE: March 5, 2024 TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Matt Horn, Public Works Director VIA: Derek Johnson, City Manager SUBJECT: ITEM 7A – SLOCOG PRESENTATION ON COUNTYWIDE SELF-HELP MEASURE The purpose of this staff agenda correspondence is to provide and clarify additional details regarding next steps and future opportunities for the City Council to provide input on the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) Countywide Self-Help Measure and related Draft Transportation Investment Plan. The staff report accurately indicates that, following the March 5, 2024 presentation and if the SLOCOG Board of Directors provides direction to proceed with the measure at their meeting on May 1, 2024, SLOCOG staff will return to the San Luis Obispo City Council later in May to provide another opportunity for questions and feedback on the proposal to place a transportation sales tax on the November ballot. Subsequently, it was communicated to all Cities that that there would not be an additional opportunity for the Council to make/request changes to the Draft Transportation Investment Plan in the future, as this document would be finalized by the SLOCOG Board at their May 1, 2024 meeting. If the Council or community members wish to provide comments specific to the Draft Transportation Investment Plan, the March 5, 2024 hearing is the opportunity to provide detailed comments. As such, staff has prepared the following revised language to the “Alternatives” section of the Item 7A Council Agenda Report: ALTERNATIVES The Council may choose not to provide feedback regarding a potential sales tax measure or the Draft Countywide Transportation Investment Program at this time. SLOCOG staff will be returning to the SLOCOG Board in early May on May 1, 2024, to share feedback received through stakeholder outreach and to receive direction on next steps, which could include refinements to the proposed measure and Investment Plan and direction on whether or not to continue advancing this proposal to the November ballot. If this measure continues forward, the City Council would have another opportunity for questions and feedback later this spring; however, if the Council chooses not to provide feedback at this March 5th session, there would be less time for SLOCOG staff Item 7a. SLOCOG Presentation on Countywide Self-Help Measure Page 2 and Board to consider the City’s feedback and less opportunity to ensure that the City’s interests and priorities are properly reflected in the final ballot measure and Transportation Investment Plan details If this measure continues forward, there will not be another opportunity for changes to the draft investment plan after the May 1, 2024 SLOCOG Board meeting; the San Luis Obispo City Council’s March 5, 2024, meeting provides the best opportunity to provide feedback to ensure that the City’s interests and priorities are properly reflected in the final Transportation Investment Plan. If the City of San Luis Obispo and/or other jurisdictions do not support the proposed sales tax measure or Transportation Investment Plan, this could result in the SLOCOG Board or County Board of Supervisors deciding not to place the self-help transportation sales tax measure on the November 2024 ballot. The current Regional Transportation Plan is underfunded by $2.3 billion based on current revenues; thus, many planned local and regional transportation maintenance and improvement projects will not be feasible without some form of augmented funding capacity.