Hundreds speak against Measure C ahead of Fresno County council vote

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Hundreds of community members spoke out at a meeting of the Fresno County Council of Governments on Thursday night.

Most were opposed to putting the Measure C transportation tax as it is on the November ballot.

The Fresno County transportation authority says our local transportation and roads have relied on Measure C for decades to fund additions and improvements.

Now, they are trying to renew the half-cent sales tax for the next 30 years.

It's estimated to generate nearly $7 billion for further projects. It would be distributed among the cities that make up Fresno County, and Fresno county at large.

The meeting went on for more than 5 hours.

Almost everyone who spoke said they were highly concerned that the measure C tax plan is being rushed to the ballot, despite the fact that it will be around for decades - through 2027.

But Fresno County's transportation authority wants to get it passed now so that it can be bonded and accessed as soon as late 2023.

For hours, speaker after speaker stepped up to the podium, nearly all of them asking for the council to wait for more public input before putting Measure C on the ballot.

Community members said they want more - expanded public transportation, sidewalks for pedestrians, and solutions for air quality were among the priorities that people voiced.

On Thursday night, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer offered a plan of his own that allocates more local dollars for each city in Fresno County and less to the county at large.

Both members of the public and other Fresno County mayors said they had hesitations with Dyer's plan and weren't ready to support it.