Ballots To Be Mailed To Residents For StreetCar Vote

The Sacramento City Council proposed the special district to collect property taxes to help pay for a street car project. The Sacramento City Council called a special election at Tuesday night's meeting. 

Nearly 3,800 people who live close to a proposed street car line in downtown Sacrametno will have the chance to vote on the special district that would be charged with collecting property taxes for the $150 million project.

Sheri Smith is with the city's Finance Department. She says the election is required by law when such a district is proposed.

"If you are forming a Mello-Roos district in a region or boundaries that have more than 12 registered voters it has to go out to a registered voter vote," says Smith. "The ballots will go out sometime in May. The county registrar will run the election. And then they are due back June 2nd."

The results of the election should be finalized by July. If voters approve, a tax would be assessed on property owners who have already voted in favor of the project.

"Right now the schedule is that we'll move forward with putting it on the August rolls," says Smith. "But other financing pieces of the street car system have to come in place to do that. There's a $75 million federal grant that is out there and other small pieces of money as well."

If the measure passes, $30 million will go to the street car project from property taxes.

The City of West Sacramento's contribution is $25 million, the City of Sacramento's is $7 million, and Sacramento County's is $3 million.

Project organizers are working to secure $10 million from the State of California.

A federal model says 2,500 people might ride the street car every day in its first year of operation. The City of Sacramento says the federal model is outdated and that 6,000 riders is a more likely number.