Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit is back on track for expansion to Windsor and Healdsburg after a state Supreme Court this week cleared the way for SMART’s use of stalled transportation revenue for construction of its most northern-planned stations.
The funds derive from the increased tolls Bay Area drivers have paid since passage of a 2018 ballot measure, approved by 55% of voters, which authorized the Bay Area Toll Authority to increase its fees for commuters to cross bridges and other tolling stations. But the funds have sat in limbo since 2019, when tax-watchdog group the Howard Jarvis Tax Association sued the state, arguing the measure equated to a tax increase which, under state law, would require two-thirds voter approval. The state Supreme Court took up the suit on appeal, following two lower-court losses. The seven court justices denied the appeal in a unanimous decision, freeing up $4.45 billion in regional funding; $40 million of that will go toward SMART expansion.
