The failed "Fair Share Amendment" would have taxed the wealthy to pay for transportation and education.
"Voters will not have an opportunity to impose an income surtax on the state’s wealthiest earners this November, after the Supreme Judicial Court issued a long-anticipated ruling [pdf] Monday that the proposal known as the 'millionaire’s tax' cannot appear on the ballot," report Steve Brown and Ally Jarmanning.
"The proposal, which supporters dubbed the 'Fair Share Amendment,' would have raised an estimated $2 billion via a 4 percent surtax on any income above $1 million," according to the article. That money would have been reserved for transportation and education funding.
Following that news, Shirley Leung writes a column pondering the question of how Massachusetts will fund transportation and education. Leung suggests that progressives and the business community have a common agenda, and investments in transportation and education can benefit the entire state by building a thriving economy.
Read the full story: 'Millionaire's Tax' Won't Be On The State Ballot, Mass. SJC Rules
Trump Administration Proposes to Divert Billions from Mass Transit to Highways; Advocates Sound Alarm
Two proposals from the Trump DOT would eliminate a federal mass transit fund and make it harder for states to allocate funding to transit projects.
Federal Judge Rules Trump Can’t Tie Transportation Funding to Immigration Policy
The judge said the administration did not offer “any plausible connection” between transportation projects and immigration enforcement.
Oregon Transportation Bill Saves 500 ODOT Jobs, but Leaves Future Funding Uncertain
A bill passed in a special legislative session will raise over $4 billion for transportation and public transit in the next 10 years, but fails to establish a long-term funding solution.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority