In another reversal, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said he will keep the city’s general tax on the ballot, despite promising from the dais that he would remove the city’s Measure C replacement if Better Roads Safe Streets qualified.

A news release late Friday from the city said that Dyer was not confident that the citizen-led initiative would make it on the ballot, even with a state law, AB 1923, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday forcing the measure before voters in November.

The release states that additional procedural action is still needed by the county before the Better Roads Safe Streets sales tax officially gets on the ballot.

With the county considering legal action on Tuesday against the state for AB 1923 and county counsel’s claim the law violated state constitution, Dyer said the likelihood of not having any transportation tax on the ballot was too great not to reverse course — again — on his claims.

“This has truly been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve faced as Mayor. I know that submitting the city’s measure today may disappoint my fellow mayors throughout the county, and that weighs heavily on me,” Dyer said. “But I want to reassure them — and all of our partners — that this choice in no way diminishes my support for the Better Roads, Safe Streets measure.”

Dyer Back-and-Forth on City Sales Tax

On July 30, before public news that Better Roads Safe Streets would go to state legislators, Fresno City Council voted 6-1 to approve a half-cent general sales tax intended to make up for road repair and transit fund losses after Measure C expires in June 2027.

The loss of Measure C funds would result in at least $54 million for next year’s city budget, Dyer said during the council meeting.

At the time, councilmembers worried that a city-led sales tax would compete with the countywide Better Roads Safe Streets even though it has a clause terminating it if a countywide transportation tax was ever approved.

From the dais, Dyer assured councilmembers he would veto the general sales tax if it meant the two would appear on the ballot.

Then, on Tuesday, he said on the “Unfiltered” show from GV Wire Publisher Darius Assemi that voters should expect to see both measures on the ballot, saying that they should vote for both, given the termination clause.

“I don’t want the voters to be surprised if they see two ballot measures. I don’t want them to get confused by it, hopefully they’ll understand that if both pass only one is going to be operative,” Dyer said. “But I think the people of Fresno would want me, as the mayor, to have at least one on the ballot.”

Once AB 1923 got Newsom approval, however, Dyer said he would veto the general sales tax to keep the city’s measure off the ballot.

Now, on Friday, he’s said he’ll keep it on.

“Please try to understand, my responsibility, first and foremost, is to the residents of the city of Fresno, and given the new information we learned today, this was the only responsible path to ensure a transportation funding option remains available to Fresno voters in November,” Dyer said in the statement.

What’s Left for Better Roads Safe Streets to Get on the Ballot?

AB 1923 directs Fresno County supervisors to “perform all acts that they would otherwise perform to place a qualified initiative measure on the ballot.”

That means that Fresno County Clerk/Registrar of Voters James Kus still needs a resolution providing basic information to put any measure on the ballot, Kus told GV Wire.

While the county has the item on the agenda, and Kus expects it to be brought to him, County Supervisors Garry Bredefeld and Buddy Mendes said they would bring the litigation item to supervisors on Tuesday during closed session.

County Counsel Doug Sloan said the county, among other things, will dispute the state’s urgency declaration that allowed the governor to take immediate action.

The city’s assessment, based on the release, is that Sloan’s lawsuit may have some merit.