Light rail to the airport. A Folsom-Elk Grove freeway. What a Sacramento sales tax would fund

With commutes in the Sacramento region worsening, a collection of business and labor groups began collecting signatures on Wednesday to place a sales tax increase on the November 2022 ballot in Sacramento County.

The measure would increase local sales taxes by one half of a percent over 40 years, raising an estimated $8.5 billion for roads, bridges and the county’s mass transit system.

Business and labor groups are behind the measure. Michael Quigley, the executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs, said it was “time to reverse the trend of our decaying transportation infrastructure.”

“For years Sacramento has been facing increasing commute times, worsening congestion and declining air quality, but this November voters will have an opportunity to support change,” Quigley said in a statement. “To improve our local economy and quality of life we must have a safe, reliable and fully funded transportation system.”

Money from the tax would help fund the Capital Southeast Connector expressway proposed to connect Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and Folsom; extending the Regional Transit light rail system to Sacramento International Airport, Citrus Heights and Elk Grove; road and freeway improvements throughout the county; and maintenance of the American River Parkway.

Funding would also go to the Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) train service if it extends into Sacramento County and to local transit services for seniors and the disabled. Some funding targets would require matches from the state or federal governments, most notably freeway interchanges. Money could also help support the construction of a bridge over the Sacramento River at Broadway in Sacramento and an American River bridge in South Natomas.

The average one-way commute time in Sacramento County is 28.6 minutes, which is slightly shorter than the statewide average, according to census data. An estimated 76% of Sacramento commuters drive alone to work while just 3% taking public transit.

The proposed measure is nearly identical to a 2016 sales tax measure that was narrowly defeated. Local taxpayer groups such as the Sacramento Taxpayers Association and Eye on Sacramento opposed that measure.

The sales tax in most of Sacramento County is 7.75%. Galt and Rancho Cordova have tax rates of 8.25%, and the rate in Rancho Cordova and the city of Sacramento is 8.75%.

The measure would need the approval of at least 50% of voters to pass.

This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 3:13 PM.