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Smart Voter
Riverside County, CA November 4, 2014 Election
Measure Q
Voter Approval Needed to Add Lanes to Hwy 111
City of Indian Wells

Majority Approval Required

Pass: 1,368 / 73.47% Yes votes ...... 494 / 26.53% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

Results as of November 21 7:51am, 100.00%% of Precincts Reporting (3/3)
Information shown below: Impartial Analysis | Arguments |

Shall Section 2.08.170 be added to the Indian Wells Municipal Code to prohibit the City Council from taking any action which has the effect of allowing more than two through lanes in each direction on State Highway 111, unless approved by majority of City voters, except for lanes for bicycles, left and right turns, publicly owned and operated transit vehicles, and certain short acceleration or deceleration lanes from private property and residential complexes?

Impartial Analysis from City Attorney
Measure "Q" was placed on the November 4, 2014 ballot by petition signed by the required number of Indian Wells voters. Measure "Q" would potentially limit the number of traffic lanes on Highway 111 by providing that no City Council action to allow more than two (2) through lanes in each direction along Highway 111 shall be effective until approved by a majority of Indian Wells voters. Measure "Q" exempts lanes reserved exclusively for (i) bicycles, (ii) left and right turn intersection approaches, (iii) publicly owned and operated transit vehicles, and (iv) short acceleration or deceleration lanes.

Measure "Q" provides that it applies to any action taken after the date the Notice of Intention to Circulate Petition was filed. Measure "Q" may be amended or repealed only by a majority of Indian Wells voters at a duly held election.

Since November, 2006, the City has entered into reimbursement contracts with the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) to ultimately potentially widen Highway 111 to six (6) lanes. These agreements commit the City to make certain widening improvements to Highway 111 and CVAG agrees to reimburse the City 75% of its costs. Since 2006, the City has made significant improvements to Highway 111 for which CVAG has reimbursed the City $8,552,492.44.

The CVAG contracts also commit the City to widen additional sections of Highway 111 to six (6) lanes when certain traffic "triggers" are reached, with CVAG reimbursing the City for 75% of those costs. One such `'trigger" requires the City to begin additional widening to six (6) lanes within one (1) year after Highway 111 reaches an average daily traffic count of 60,000 vehicles. According to the City's Public Works Department, the most current average daily traffic count is 35,215 vehicles.

Measure "Q" could conflict with the CVAG reimbursement contracts. When the next "trigger" occurs, the City is committed to widen additional portions of Highway 111 to six (6) lanes. However, Measure "Q" would make such widening subject to voter approval. If the voters did not approve the widening, the City could be forced to breach the CVAG reimbursement contracts. If the City fails to meet any "triggers" for the future widening of State Highway 111, the contracts require the City to repay CVAG any reimbursement funds it paid to the City for prior phases of work, resulting for example in a repayment obligation currently in the amount of $8,552,492.44.

A "yes" vote on Measure "Q" will authorize the amendments to the City's Municipal Code as described above.

A "no" vote on Measure "Q" will not authorize the amendments to the City's Municipal Code as described above.

The above statement is an impartial analysis of Measure "Q". If you desire a copy of the Measure, please call the elections official's office at (760) 346-2489 and a copy will be mailed at no cost to you..

By: STEPHEN P. DEITSCH, CITY ATTORNEY

 
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Arguments For Measure Q Arguments Against Measure Q
Please vote YES on Measure "Q".

Measure "Q" ensures that YOU, the voters, will decide the future of Hwy 111.

Currently, Indian Wells provides 10 to 12 through lanes for traffic to move between Palm Desert and La Quinta.

East of Cook Street, Hwy 111 has four of those lanes and Fred Waring has six. West of Cook, each street has six lanes.

Adding one or more lanes to Hwy 111 could have a deleterious effect on our quality of life, our safety and our property values. Adding such lanes could turn what is now a beautiful boulevard, into a noisy expressway.

THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN UNLESS THE VOTERS APPROVE.

Measure "Q" requires voter approval before adding any additional through lanes on Hwy 111, regardless of when that might occur.

This measure is that simple. Let the voters decide!

Opponents of Measure "Q" may try to confuse the issue by saying Measure "Q" will cost us millions of dollars. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Measure "Q" will cost taxpayers NOTHING. It simply requires a vote before the City adds any more through lanes to Hwy 111.

Opponents may also say that Measure "Q" is "not needed" because there are no current plans to add additional through lanes to Hwy 111.

They forget that in February of THIS year, the City Council was asked to add an additional through lane from Cook Street to Province Way. While the Council did not support this request, Councilmembers come and Councilmembers go, and unless Measure "Q" passes, it would take only three votes on the Council to add one or more lanes.

Please read the Impartial Analysis prepared by the Indian Wells City Attorney which is part of this booklet.

Then, to keep Indian Wells a special residential enclave, please vote YES on Measure "Q".

By: Jeff Bartman, Indian Wells resident, Voter & Homeowner
Rebeca Brundage, Indian Wells resident, Voter & Homeowner
Dana Reed, Indian Wells resident, Voter & Homeowner
Thomas Saltarelli, Indian Wells resident, Voter & Homeowner
Curtis Watkins, Indian Wells resident, Voter & Homeowner

(No arguments against were submitted)


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