Sonoma County plans forums on roads

Sonoma County officials are hosting a series of town hall meetings over the next month focused on the state of the county’s roads. The next is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Rincon Valley Library in Santa Rosa.

The effort, launched this month, is aimed at briefing people about road fixes the Board of Supervisors has tackled to date, and gathering input from residents countywide about the state of their roads. It comes amid a robust campaign for Measure A - a five-year, quarter-percent sales tax measure set for a June 2 special election.

Supervisors said the tax increase would allow the county and its nine cities to tackle the region’s road woes. The sales tax measure would raise $20 million in the first year, with revenue estimated to grow by 3 percent annually. If approved by voters, Measure A would dedicate 44 percent of proceeds to the county, with the remainder of the sales tax revenue divvied up among the cities, based on population and number of road miles per jurisdiction.

Bringing just the county-governed 1,382-mile network up to good condition could cost an estimated $954 million over the next 20 years, according to the county.

Other town hall meetings are scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. at the following dates and locations:

- May 6 at the Monte Rio Community Center.

- May 13 at the Glaser Center in Santa Rosa.

You can reach Staff Writer Angela Hart at 526-8503 or angela.hart@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ahartreports.