A group of transportation experts — referred to that way by Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes — has a plan for a sales tax to fund road repairs in Fresno County they hope to put before voters in November.

That makes two proposals seeking to supplant the half-cent Measure C transportation tax expiring in June 2027. The first proposal was announced by Moving Fresno Forward, a community coalition backed by Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.

This second group says that while prioritizing road repair, their plan provides cities with flexibility while also helping fund regional projects such as the Shaw Avenue overpass at Highway 99.

More importantly, said former Fresno County Supervisor and Fresno City Councilmember Henry R. Perea, it preserves the governing structure of Measure C — something he said is important given the recent discovery of a $1.5 million theft from the city’s parks and arts tax.

Perea noted that many of the same people pushing the other transportation tax spending plan were heavily involved in promoting the Measure P parks tax.

“In light of what is happening right now with the use of Measure P dollars and the recent $1.5 million issue that’s now being investigated by the police and the FBI, that’s exactly what happens when you don’t have oversight over dollars,” Perea said.

“Ironically, the same organization that was behind Measure P, the (Central Valley Community Foundation) they’re behind this one, too. My question to them is, why are you eliminating oversight of public dollars, especially in a program this large?”

Neither the Central Valley Community Foundation nor Moving Fresno Forward provided GV Wire with comments in response to Perea’s remarks about the Measure P embezzlement and their Measure C successor proposal.

Mendes, speaking at Tuesday’s Fresno County Board of Supervisors meeting, echoed Perea’s sentiments.

“The public needs to be very careful because the system has worked pretty dang good for the 20 years that it’s been involved and the 20 before that,” Mendes said. “There’s never been an issue of fraud on Measure C.”

‘Experts’ Version Provides Flexibility to Use Funds

Behind the experts’ version are former Fresno COG Director Tony Boren, former Fresno County Transportation Authority Director Mike Leonardo, former Caltrans District 6 Director Diana Gomez, California Transportation Business Group Director Malcolm Dougherty, and Perea.

While they’re still tweaking some of the details, they plan to officially file this week, Perea said. The plan gives cities more flexibility for road repairs and promises to reform public transit without dedicating more money to fix a broken system, Perea said.

It also keeps in place the FCTA, which Perea says has for decades ensured money has been spent appropriately. That board, comprised of rural and urban elected leaders, as well as community members, is a representative mix, he said.

“It’s a good check and balance. I would say at the end of the day, the work that they both do together really comes out in more public light at the (Fresno) Council of Governments because that’s where the plans are initiated,” Perea said. “The FCTA acts more as the bank and the oversight body making sure that what is in that plan fits the criteria.”

The FCTA board on Wednesday selected Clovis City Councilmember Lynne Ashbeck to lead the oversight board.

However, she also supports the plan that eliminates the FCTA.

She told GV Wire that she still supports FCTA and keeping it in the Moving Fresno Forward plan would be ideal, “but we couldn’t get there.”

Oversight is always important in her mind, but she felt confident in the plan’s ability to properly administer taxpayer money.

“I’m very worried that the funding will stop,” Ashbeck said. “The people hurt the most are those in our smaller communities, and I just worry so much about that. That’s my bigger worry.”

Citizen-Led Initiative Has Safeguards: Dyer

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer said he feels confident about the safeguards to ensure money is spent legally and as the Moving Fresno Forward plan intends. In addition to the citizen oversight committee, it also lays out specific requirements for how money is spent. That includes reviews every year, every five years, and after 10 years, a total review of spending.

“There’s significant safeguards in the citizen-led initiative that will not only prevent thefts from occurring or embezzlement, but also to ensure that the dollars are being spent in a manner in which they’re laid out,” Dyer said.

Fresno COG picks the 11-person committee. Three have to be from the Fresno-Clovis area and three have to be from rural areas. Another five must represent “the diversity of the county region, providing a balance of viewpoints.”

Dyer said having two transportation taxes on the same ballot would likely mean both being rejected by voters. The hurdle for adoption is 50% plus one. If both plans are approved, the one with the most votes would be enacted.

Perea said their plan has a 40-year track record behind it, but he’s still hopeful the two groups can come together to agree on a single plan for voters.

“I’m still hopeful that reasonable minds will prevail and that we can sit down with Mayor Dyer and maybe the Clovis folks and county and small cities and work out a compromise,” Perea said.