2002 Transit Referendums

Community/Region Type of Measure Description Ballot Date/Result
Alaska      
Statewide Proposition B State Guaranteed Transportation Revenue Anticipation Bonds and State General Obligation State Transportation Project Bonds. Passed 67% to 32%; 11/5/02
Arkansas      
Little Rock Sales Tax The Central Arkansas Transit Authority (CATA) plans to receive $15 million through the sales tax increase.  The extra funding would go to funding the second phase of the streetcar design, improving the bus service and fleet, and meeting ADA requirements for the paratransit system. Failed; 11/5/2002
Arizona      
Tucson 1/2-cent sales tax increase. And separate ballot measure for spending plan. Expected to raise $40 million/year for transportation improvements. Spending plan will propose 45% to road widening and intersections, 37% for maintenance, bike lanes, sidewalks and street lights, and 18% for transit. 5/21/2002; Both measures failed 68% to 32%
California      
Contra Costa and Alameda counties Measure AA $25 property tax per year for five years to mitigate the loss of other sources of funding for AC Transit. Passed 68% to 32%; 11/5/02
Fresno Measure C Measure C, the half-cent county sales tax used to pay for transportation, expires June 2007 and needs voter approval by a two-thirds margin to continue.  Under the proposal before the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, every dollar that goes into the new Measure C would be broken down to allow 13 cents for public transportation, 24 cents for building roads and adding capacity in the urban area. Failed 54% voted yes, but needed 66.6%; 11/5/02
Riverside County Measure A Ballot initiative to extend the half-cent sales tax for roads and transit for another 30 years.  The current transportation tax will expire in 2009. Passed 69% to 31%; 11/5/2002
San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties Measure BB Agency would ask voters to raise their property taxes to pay for $1.05 billion in seismic strengthening and security improvements. Failed 64.2% voted yes, but needed 66.6%; 11/5/2002
Solano county Measure E Half-cent sales tax increase to improve ferry service and commuter rail. Failed 59% yes, but needed 66.6%; 11/5/02
Statewide Prop 42 - Transportation Congestion Improvement Act. Requires all state gas tax revenues to be set aside for transportation. Currently, gas tax revenue goes to the General Fund. 3/5/2002; Passed 70% to 30%
Statewide "Traffic Congestion and Safe School Bus Funding" initiative - Prop 51 Would take 30% of the state's sales tax on auto sales and leases - some $870 million a year - and dedicate the revenue to a long list of specified local projects.  Among the 45 listed: new freeway interchanges; a new traffic tunnel in Los Angeles; and light- and commuter-rail extensions in Sacramento and the Bay Area.  Only 10% of the funds would go for school buses Failed 58% to 41%; 11/5/2002
Colorado      
Aspen   Voters are being polled on two questions: 1.  A proposed trolley system, using the city's six historic cars.  2.  Voters will decide if they want to retain the S-curve or proceed with a modified direct alignment across Marolt, which will speed traffic and allow for mass transit improvements. Question 1 Failed, Question 2 56% for S-curves  to 44% for modified alignment; 11/5/2002
Legislative Action SB167 Legislation that would allow RTD to go directly to voters regarding transit issues/funding, as long as plan is compatible with state and local transportation plans and doesn't attempt to obligate existing state funds. 3/1/2002; Passed
Florida      
Miami/Dade County 1/2-cent sales tax. Mass transit only. Will finance only new equipment and facilities. Will require creation of independent, regional transportation authority. Passed 66% to 34%; 11/5/2002
Louisiana      
East Baton Rouge Property tax A 1.25-mill parishwide property tax to fund the public bus company.  The tax, which would cost about $3.13 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home would generate about $2.2 million for Capital Transportation Corp. beginning in 2004. Failed 53% to 47%; 11/5/2002
Maine      
Statewide Question 3 Whether to amend the Constitution of Maine to allow the State to issue short-term debt in limited amounts that must be repaid with federal transportation funds within 12 months to facilitate the development of highways, bridges and other transportation projects. Passed 55% to 45%; 11/5/2002
Michigan      
Lansing Property Tax To implement an additional property tax millage of.82 to support the Capital Area Transportation Authority. Passed 58% to 42%
Wayne, Oakland, Macomb Counties Tax package The four-year tax will raise $44 million annually. 8/6/02; Passed
Missouri      
Statewide Ballot Measure Missouri voters were asked to raise the motor fuel tax from 17 cents to 21 cents and boost the state's 4.225 percent sales tax by one-half cent.  It was estimated to raise $511 million a year, including $64 million for public transportation. 8/6/2002; Failed 72.5% to 27.5%
Nevada      
Southern Nevada (Las Vegas) 1/8-cent sales tax increase. For BRT, fixed route and paratransit expansion. Passed 53% to 47%; 11/5/2002
Reno Transportation Funding - WC2 Proposed funding package would adjust the fuel tax to be tied to the rate of inflation, and increase the sales tax by 1/8 of a penny per dollar to fund the 2030 Regional Transportation Plan. Passed 57% to 42%; 11/5/2002
North Carolina      
Charlotte Bond referendum A bond referendum to pay for street and sidewalk improvements. Passed 71% to 29%;11/5/2002
North Dakota      
Bismarck City Measure No. 1and City Measure No. 2. No. 1 = Streets and facilities rehabilitation up to $5.4 million, with $400,000 for buses and infrastructure. No. 2 = One-mill levy for operation of bus system, including the $400,000 for buses and infrastructure. No. 1: 75% for and 25% against; No. 2: 70 for and 30% against
Ohio      
Butler County Issue 6: Sales tax measure Butler County Regional Transit Authority proposed 0.25% sales tax increase to save the "BLAST" bus service. Failed 62% to 38%; 11/5/2002
Delaware County Property tax Delaware Area Transit Agency 0.98-mill levy to improve bus service.  Would raise $3.5 million annually.  Failed 70% to 30%; 11/5/2002
Hamilton County (Cincinnati) County-wide 1/2-cent sales tax referendum Half-cent sales tax increase for light rail and/or bus system expansion. Failed 68% to 32%; 11/5/2002
Rhode Island      
Statewide Question 3 Approval of this question will authorize the State of Rhode Island to issue general obligation bonds, refunding bonds, and temporary notes in an amount not to exceed $563,500, 000 to match federal funds; provide direct funding for improvements to the State’s highways, roads and bridges; replace and repair transportation maintenance facilities and purchase buses and/or rehabilitate existing buses for the Rhode Island Public Transportation Authority’s bus fleet. Passed 72% to 28%; 11/5/2002
South Carolina      
Charleston County 1/2-cent sales tax increase. 25-year window 70% for roads and drainage, 17% for transit, 13% for green space and parkland development. Passed 50.42% to 49.58%; 11/5/2002
Texas      
Arlington City transit election $.25 sales tax increase to implement a public transportation plan. 5/4/2002; Failed 58% to 42%
Dallas Bond issue   8/19/2002; Voter approved (8/2000); Bonds issued (8/2002)
Denton County Formation of regional transportation authority for Denton County Transportation services for the county include regional commuter rail, express and feeder bus services, bus and park-and-ride facilities, and an elderly/disabled service.  Passed 73% to 27%; 11/5/2002
Utah      
Statewide State constitutional amendment Would allow cities and government agencies to sell their assets to private companies in order to generate up front capital.  Assets could then be leased and eventually sold back to the government entity after several years, resulting in a tax break to the private company purchasing the asset. Failed 57% to 43%; 11/5/2002
Virginia      
Norfolk/Hampton Roads   Granted authority for sales tax increase referendum to fund transportation. Transportation referenda would allow a 1-cent sales tax increase to support transportation. Failed nearly 2 to 1; 11/5/2002
Northern Virginia   Transportation referenda would allow a 1/2-cent sales tax increase to support transportation. Failed 55% to 45%; 11/5/2002
Prince William County Bond measure $86.7 million bond measure to pay for county road work. Failed 67% to 32%; 11/5/2002
Washington      
Benton and Franklin Counties Sales tax measure .3% increase on sales taxes for purchases of $10 or more. 3/1/2002 Passed 57% to 43%.
Pierce Transit ?? .3% sales tax increase. 2/5/2002. Passed 54% to 46%.
Seattle Monorail The $1.75 billion project would be paid for by imposing an annual motor vehicle excise tax of 1.4 per cent of the value of a vehicle. Passed 52% to 48%; 11/5/2002
Spokane Proposed sales tax Proposition 1 calls for three-tenths of 1% sales tax authority.  This increase is on top of the current sales tax of 8.1% 9/17/2002
Statewide Referendum 51 It would generate an estimated $7.7 billion, mostly by increasing the gas tax by 9-cents per gallon, but also by adding a 1 per cent surtax on car sales and boosting trucking fees by 30 per cent. Failed 63% to 37%; 11/5/2002
Statewide Initiative 776 Would roll back car tab taxes to $30 a year per vehicle, removing some of the funding for Sound Transit in Pierce, Snohomish and King counties. Passed 54% to 46%; 11/5/2002