Cities receiving millions in special transportation tax dollars can’t misspend them without consequences.

That was the message sent out Monday morning by some of Orange County’s highest ranking transportation officials amid discussions about weakening punishments for cities that misspend voter approved transit taxes, reaffirming that any city that fails to properly administer the funds will lose funding for five years.

The money in question comes from Measure M2, a half cent sales tax approved by voters in 2006 exclusively to fund new transportation projects throughout the county over the next 30 years.

When voters approved the tax, which was an extension of a similar program that previously ran for 20 years and funded over $4 billion of transit improvements, there were strict rules ove

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