What's at stake?
Under the plan, cities and the counties aren't allowed to spend more than 5% of their Measure C dollars on expanding roads until every road has hit an average of 65 on the pavement condition index, with some safety exceptions.
Most Fresno County mayors voted Thursday evening to officially approve the expenditure plan for the renewal of Measure C, the transportation sales tax, planned for the November 2026 ballot.
Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer led the charge, with Clovis Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua in support along with the county’s west side mayors, in a 10-4 vote. The plan was modified to reduce the county’s required expenditures in disadvantaged unincorporated communities.
That amendment didn’t sway Fresno County Supervisor Garry Bredefeld.
Much of the opposition focused on fears that the measure wouldn’t allow for enough road expansion. Under the plan, cities and the counties aren’t allowed to spend more than 5% of their Measure C dollars on expanding roads until every road has hit an average of 65 on the pavement condition index, with some safety exceptions.
The new plan represents a major shift in transportation policy for Fresno County.
The plan dedicates about 65% of the sales tax revenues to fix up local roads, with 25% towards public transit.
But now the approved plan heads to the County Board of Supervisors, where Supervisors Bredefeld and Buddy Mendes have made it clear that they’ll reject this plan in favor of an alternative that vastly reduces public transit spending to expand more roads.
The rival plan would reduce public transit allocation to just 11% of the total tax revenues, with 18% going to ‘regional projects’ and 70% towards fixing local roads.
The new plan represents a major shift in transportation policy for Fresno County.
Proponents of the approved plan could bypass the supervisors by gathering signatures to qualify for the ballot instead.
“The goal of this measure is, ‘fix all of our roads,’” Mouanoutoua said. “And that’s what we’re doing.”
