Minutes - Public Works Committee - 09/17/2024

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City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby commented that this was meant to be informative but there could be additional discussion on this information if desired. He commented that the balance would go negative at some point and direction could be provided if the committee would like additional information in a future case. Councilmember Riley stated that this is important as it shows the funding is sufficient for the next few years and then they will need to make decisions before the funds are gone. He stated that this allows several years to look and plan for what they will need to do in order to continue to repair roads. He recognized the increased cost per year to reconstruct and maintain roads compared to the figure that was previously provided and asked for clarification. City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby commented that they now have a lot of data and numbers to base their estimates on. He stated that when he began this work in 2013, a lot of the estimates were based on what existed in the industry as the City did not have recent project history as it does now and therefore the numbers provided today are more accurate. Councilmember Riley referenced sealcoating, which was the standard for decades, recognizing thathas been placed on hold for additional study, and asked if something will take the place of that maintenance activity. City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby commented that the pavement rejuvenation seems to be doing a good job taking the place of sealcoating. Assistant City Engineer Feriancek agreed that the pavement rejuvenation has been working well and is an established practice in other areas of the country that has been done for over 50 years, explaining that it is a more recent improvement in this area of the country. Councilmember Howell commented that she is glad to see the work that has been put into planning for the future to address the roads. She stated that it would be helpful to begin to plan for future funding to avoid that deficit. City Engineer/Public Works Director Westby commented that he would assume that the plan would not be to bond again for millions of dollars. Councilmember Riley confirmed that he believed that the intent was for the bond to be a one-time fix to get ahead of the bubble and find a better long-term answer. Chairperson Musgrove stated that perhaps they could look at the more accurate costs and then determine the percentage of increase that would be needed for the levy. She stated that perhaps it would be helpful to have some of those projected needs and how that could be funded through the levy. She stated that if the intent was to have five percent of the levy, but the full levy is not collected and the full five percent is not received, that has an impact. Councilmember Riley commented that while everyone may not pay their taxes on time, the money is eventually received. He believed that there would be benefit in reviewing this information, in a more brief format, with the full City Council. Public Works Committee / September 17, 2024 Page 11 of 12