Laserfiche WebLink
CC Work Session 4. 2. <br />Meeting Date: 07/09/2013 <br />By: Bruce Westby, Engineering/Public <br />Works <br />Title: <br />Review of long-term street maintenance and reconstruction financing options and cost estimate assumptions. <br />Background: <br />City staff has been evaluating the pavement condition of city streets for a number of years. The results of our <br />evaluations show that a majority of city streets are severely degraded and are in need of maintenance or complete <br />reconstruction. While the pavement sections on certain streets should receive maintenance or be reconstructed <br />sooner than others, almost all city streets will need some form of maintenance or reconstruction over the next <br />30-plus years. <br />Based on cost estimates previously developed by staff, maintaining and reconstructing existing city streets at a <br />reasonable level of service, which staff defined as a rating of 7 based on the Pavement Surface Evaluation and <br />Rating (PASER) system, could cost up to $3 million per year over the next 30 years. Unless the existing funding <br />sources are increased, or new financing options are identified and implemented, the city will not be able to afford to <br />maintain our streets to this level so our streets will continue to degrade, falling further and further into disrepair. <br />In response to this issue, staff has been researching alternative financing options that would allow the city to <br />adequately fund our long-term street maintenance and reconstruction program needs. Ideally, the desired financing <br />option would allow for the implementation of a funding stream that is dedicated, dependable, and secure. In <br />addition, it should be viewed by taxpayers as being beneficial, equitable and transparent. <br />Notification: <br />N/A - No notifications are required in association with this case. <br />Observations/Alternatives: <br />Update of Estimated Costs - <br />Previously, staff had estimated approximately $3 million would be needed annually to address the city's long-term <br />street reconstruction needs. In conjunction with the 2014 budgeting process, staff is working to refine these <br />estimated annual costs. To do this, several assumptions are being proposed as follows. <br />1. All city streets are proposed to be maintained and reconstructed "as is" (i.e. costs are being estimated assuming <br />no changes to roadway type (urban versus rural), lane configurations or widths, number or location of turn lanes, <br />pedestrian accommodations, public utilities, etc. <br />2. Estimated costs are based solely on 2013 construction costs for ease of comparison. <br />3. A PASER rating of 7 continues to be used as the target rating for our long-term street maintenance and <br />reconstruction program. <br />If Council is not in agreement with any of these assumptions, it would help staff greatly to know which assumptions <br />should be omitted or modified as soon as possible. This would prevent staff from spending time updating costs <br />based on any assumptions not supported by Council. <br />Staff had originally proposed to update the estimated costs by developing numerous typical sections for various <br />