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VTA Board Authorizes BART Tax Vote

San Jose, Calif. – With support from business, labor, environmental, academic and civic leaders, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors on Thursday night approved placing a measure on the November ballot asking residents to approve a one-eighth cent (1/8 cent) sales tax increase to fund operating and maintenance expenses for the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) extension to Santa Clara County.

"The regional importance of the BART extension to Santa Clara County cannot be overstated" said Dolly Sandoval, VTA Board Vice Chairperson. “BART’s connection to Caltrain at the Santa Clara and Diridon stations creates an integrated rail service completely encircling the bay.” The tax measure would finance the operation and maintenance costs of the 16-mile extension of the BART system beginning in the Warm Springs District in Alameda County through the Cities of Milpitas, San Jose to Santa Clara in Santa Clara County. "I hope the voters will agree with me and cast their vote on November 4," she concluded.

“The BART Extension Project is at a critical stage and this tax is essential to positioning VTA to compete for the final funding that is necessary to make the project a reality,” said VTA General Manager Michael T. Burns. The tax would not be assessed until VTA secures state and federal funds to match local funds.

To evaluate the project costs and benefits, as well as the sufficiency of the sales tax, VTA consulted with independent financial experts who have provided economic modeling to a number of transportation agencies throughout the country, providing comprehensive analysis of project operating and maintenance costs. Forrest Williams, VTA Board Member and Administration and Finance Committee Chairperson, stressed the importance of having this analysis completed before approving the tax measure, “This analysis, which finds that the 1/8 cent sales tax will cover the operating and maintenance cost for the BART project, has provided the Board with a high level of confidence in the forecasts that underlies our vote to support bringing a tax measure to the public.”

• (AECOM's) financial analysis

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About VTA
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; and countywide transportation planning. As such, VTA is both an accessible transit provider and multi-modal transportation planning organization involved with transit, highways and roadways, bikeways and pedestrian facilities.

For more information about VTA services, call VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300, (408) 321-2330 (TDD only). Or, log on to www.vta.org.