Now that the blueprint for turning Temecula Valley Wine Country into a vacation destination is moving forward, Riverside County officials are turning their attention to finding ways to finance improvements called for in that plan.
Supervisors Jeff Stone and Marion Ashley were scheduled to take a plan to the county Board of Supervisors today to set aside a quarter of the sales tax collected in the agricultural area east of Temecula for roundabouts, signs and other projects.
It is not a new tax, but rather a proposal to put 25 percent of what’s already in place into a new Wine Country Infrastructure Fund.
Not a lot of tax money is generated through Wine Country sales now – the total for the fiscal year that ended June 30 was $811,712, according to a report from Stone and Ashley. But Ashley said the amount is expected to grow as the vineyard district flourishes, placing increasingly more emphasis on entertainment, weddings and places to stay overnight.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity to promote the Wine Country,” Ashley said by telephone. “The idea is to plow a portion of the sales taxes back into infrastructure to help the Wine Country move ahead.”
Earlier, the board agreed to help finance construction of a sewer system to serve existing and new wineries. This proposal for earmarking a portion of the sales tax is the first financing strategy connected to the Temecula Valley Wine Country Community Plan since supervisors adopted it in March.
Sales-tax proceeds would be reserved for four roundabouts along Rancho California Road.
There’s one already at Anza Road. Others are planned at La Serena Way, Calle Contento, Monte de Oro Road and Glenoaks Road.
Juan Perez, director of the Transportation and Land Management Agency, said the “timetable will greatly depend on the availability of construction funds.”
Most likely the next one to be built will be at Calle Contento, Perez said.
Stone said the county is looking for money because “we have four roundabouts that will cost about $2 million apiece to build, or a total of $8 million.”
Stone said the county also is looking to eliminate the “clutter” of signs along Rancho California and replace them with signage that follows a consistent theme.
“It will make our Wine Country look much more presentable,” he said.