Napa County supervisors poised to send road repair tax measure to voters

The Napa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will decide whether to send a new road repair tax measure to voters in the Nov. 5 election.

Known as Measure U, the sales tax measure wouldn’t increase the current tax rate if approved by a majority of voters. Instead, it would replace Measure T, the current countywide half-cent sales tax for road repairs, and tweak it to allow for bonding.

That means, unlike with Measure T, local jurisdictions would be allowed to issue debt — through the Napa Valley Transportation Authority that would manage the bonding —against future tax revenue to raise funding for major maintenance projects.

If approved, Measure U, would take effect on July 1, 2025, and remain in place for 30 years.

Measure T currently raises about $25 million a year for road repairs. Measure U would continue to do that. But the switch to Measure U would give Napa County and its cities a greater ability to pursue significant road construction projects upfront.

Another significant difference from Measure T is that Measure U would divert funding, via bonding, to raise $56 million for “regional” transportation projects. Those include projects intended to benefit all of Napa County, such as traffic congestion improvements along Highway 29.

Elsewhere on the agenda, the supervisors on Tuesday are also set to consider approving a building code that would discourage natural gas connections in new construction, though not outright ban them.

That code, by default, would encourage all-electric construction, which proponents say will help cut down the local climate and health impacts of natural gas.

You can reach Staff Writer Edward Booth at 707-521-5281 or edward.booth@pressdemocrat.com .