Title
Resolution Directing the City Administrator to Prepare a Resolution to Approve Ballot Language to Approve Street and Sidewalk Millage
Memo
The voter-approved millage for street capital maintenance is a primary source of funding for road and street repair. In 2011, city voters approved a street millage of 2.0 mils starting in 2012. Each year, this millage provides full or partial funding for surface maintenance and contributes to major road and bridge reconstruction projects. During the 2012-2016 construction seasons in which street work has funded by the current millage, an average of 8.5 miles of local and major streets have and will have been resurfaced or reconstructed annually.
In 2011, city voters also approved an additional 0.125 mils for the street millage to allow for the repair and/or replacement of existing sidewalks. During the 2012-2015 construction seasons, the equivalent of approximately 17 miles of sidewalk have been replaced and an additional 22,000 sidewalk slabs have been repaired. Additional work is still pending for the 2016 construction season.
The City has established a more aggressive capital preventative maintenance program for the road system, starting in the construction season of 2016. To meet the goals and expectations of this new program, the City needs to be able to seamlessly plan the funding for those capital maintenance projects.
Allowing sidewalk extensions to be funded through the millage in addition to the sidewalk maintenance already approved for funding will help with goals to extend and fill gaps in the City’s sidewalk system in situations where some of the funding comes from the City. The City also needs to be able to seamlessly plan the funding for sidewalk repairs, and extensions when appropriate.
Having a millage for street and sidewalk maintenance at the same level as was approved in 2011 will ensure the seamless planning for both streets and sidewalks.
Staff
Prepared by: Nicholas Hutchinson, P.E., City Engineer
Abigail Elias, Chief Assistant City Attorney
Sponsored by: Councilmember Briere, Councilmember Smith, Mayor Taylor
Body
Whereas, The City has benefited from a street maintenance millage since1984, with voters approving that millage six times;
Whereas, Millages for street and sidewalk capital maintenance and repairs were last approved by the voters in 2011, and included a millage of 2.0 mils for capital maintenance, resurfacing, and reconstruction of streets and bridges, and a millage that added 0.125 mils to allow for sidewalk repairs as well; and
Whereas, To ensure seamless planning and implementation of the work for street and bridge capital maintenance, resurfacing and reconstruction, and to ensure seamless planning and implementation of the work for sidewalk repairs and expansion, a ballot question to approve a new millage should be considered in 2016;
Resolved, That the Council directs the City Administrator to prepare a resolution to approve ballot language for the August 2016 election to approve a millage of 2.125 mils for five years for street and bridge capital maintenance, resurfacing and reconstruction, and for sidewalk maintenance and expansion; and
Resolved, That the Council also directs the City Administrator to prepare a memorandum for City Council that identifies clearly what the millage is intended to be used for, including the types of ongoing capital maintenance, resurfacing, and reconstruction of the existing network of streets and bridges, and maintenance and expansion of the existing network of sidewalks.