Commuter train tax is on the ballot

<p>In November voters will get the chance to say yes or no to a sales tax to fund a Sonoma-Marin commuter train.</p><p>Officials from Sonoma and Marin counties voted 10-1 Wednesday afternoon to place the issue on the ballot.</p><p>The measure, voted on by the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit board of directors, seeks a quarter-cent sales tax for a Cloverdale-Larkspur commute train. It’s the second time the agency is bringing the tax before voters.</p><p>“Every year we wait the cost goes up 40 million dollars. A few more and it gets out of reach,” said Charles McGlashan, a Marin County supervisor and chairman of the SMART board.</p><p>The lone no vote was from Hal Brown, a Marin County supervisor, who said cost of the train was too expensive. Brown was also the lone no vote in 2006 when SMART then voted 10-1 to go to voters with the ballot measure.</p><p>But those in support said there can be no delay and hope the high cost of gasoline will help compel voters to support the rail line.</p><p>Wednesday’s action was not a surprise since the SMART board had previously indicated its intention, said Mike Kerns of Petaluma, a Sonoma County supervisor and SMART board member.</p><p>“Frankly if we don’t, we would be in trouble if we are to wait beyond November. Costs keep rising. They have gone up $80 million since 2006, and this measure is extremely important for the future of Sonoma County and the future of passenger rail,” Kerns said.</p><p>In 2006, a quarter-cent sales tax measure was defeated, gaining 65 percent approval overall in Sonoma and Marin counties but needing two-thirds to pass. Sonoma County voters gave it 69 percent support, but it got just 57 percent in Marin County.</p><p>With gas prices soaring, awareness of greenhouse gas emissions growing and mass transit ridership up 10 to 12 percent throughout the Bay Area, officials hope to have a much different result than two years ago, when the tax failed in Marin County by a few hundred votes.</p><p>“We have a huge core group of people who recognize the merits of this project, what we are talking about is swaying the 2 percent at the top, and gas prices may make that difference,” said Bob Jehn of Cloverdale, formerly a SMART board member now involved in the tax campaign.</p><p>Opponents, however, say the measure still falls short.</p><p>They contend the quarter-cent is not adequate to fund it, it would not alleviate Highway 101 traffic, it would cause high-density development at transit stations and trains would run through neighborhoods day and night.</p><p>“I fear the train would be a monster, with bad things in its wake,” said Gayle Atkinson of Novato.</p><p>Mike Arnold of Novato, co-chairman of Marin Citizens for Effective Transportation, said he thinks the economy will be a factor.</p><p>“I think what will make the most difference is the economy and whether or not people are still willing to vote for higher taxes while the economy is going into a fairly deep recession,” Arnold said.</p><p>The quarter-cent tax would raise $890 million over 20 years, with annual revenues of about $45 million, according to SMART.</p><p>It would pay for a train system running from Cloverdale to Larkspur that would cost $450 million to build and $19.3 million a year to operate.</p><p>It would also fund the construction of a bike and walking trail alongside the tracks, at a cost of $90 million.</p><p>Trains are expected to carry 5,050 people weekdays and 2,020 on weekends, with an average fare of $4.50, according to SMART documents.</p>