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City Pavement Assets
- 65.5 miles of paved streets
- 4 miles of gravel roads
- Approximate replacement value of all pavement: $150 million
Current Pavement Condition
System wide, the city averages a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of 68 today.
Average pavement condition is generally “good” but slipping toward “fair” as more roads age and funding does not allow for regular maintenance of our roadway system.
If we continue to spend approximately $300,000/year, by 2026 the estimated city wide average PCI will be 52.4.
Deferred Maintenance Now Means Higher Costs Later
Our current limited funding means we are only able to react to emergencies (potholes that can damage vehicles) and citizen complaints. This is not a cost effective way to address maintenance.
Ideally, the City should be able to plan and schedule maintenance and repairs to the road network to optimize pavement conditions before they become serious problems. This would include:
- Maintaining an inventory of current pavement conditions
- Assigning priorities to road segments
- Network analysis based on decision criteria
- Scheduling advance maintenance to maintain “good” streets
- Scheduling repairs of “poor” and “fair” streets
Maintaining the road network is like maintaining a home. Just as deferring relatively inexpensive household maintenance such as painting or sealing can lead to costly problems in the future, neglecting necessary roadway maintenance today can lead to significant future costs for city residents.
How could we raise up to $2.3 million annually for road maintenance?
- If we increase spending to $2.3 million/year, by 2026 the estimated city wide average PCI will be 78.1
- If we increase spending to $2.9 million/year, by 2026 the estimated city wide average PCI will be 81.4
The City estimates that it will need close to $2.3 million per year to maintain pavement conditions at current (2016) levels and is exploring ways to generate additional revenue. As statewide gas-tax revenues decline, many cities in Oregon are facing similar funding challenges and are turning to Transportation Utility Fees and Local Gas Taxes as alternatives.
Transportation Utility Fees can be based on:
- Flat Fees where everybody pays the same. A single family home pays the same as a Fred Meyer or Climax.
- Variable Fees where different types of users pay differently based on assumptions about their use.
- Trip Generation where fees are directly linked to road use.
Fees can also be varied by business size or class. For example, a small florist would pay less than a major retailer.
Proposal: Variable Fee Within Class
Other similarly sized cities are finding this utility fee model easy to use. It is more equitable for different types of users because it assesses fees based on multiple factors:
- Type of business (class)
- Size of business
- Square footage
- Single family vs. multi-family residences
This type of fee also considers the ease of collecting funds, usually using existing municipal bills to minimize administrative expense.
Example Fees by Class
Other cities and counties are using Local Gas Taxes:
(Scroll to view.)
CITY OF WOODBURN | $.01 per gallon |
CITY OF EUGENE | $.05 per gallon |
CITY OF SPRINGFIELD | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF VENETA | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF DUNDEE | $.02 per gallon |
CITY OF TIGARD | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF MILWAUKIE | $.02 per gallon |
CITY OF COQUILLE | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF COBURG | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF ASTORIA | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF WARRENTON | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF CANBY | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF NEWPORT (NOVEMBER 1ST – MAY 31ST) | $.01 per gallon |
CITY OF NEWPORT (JUNE 1ST – OCTOBER 31ST) | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF HOOD RIVER | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF TILLAMOOK | $.015 per gallon |
CITY OF THE DALLES | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF STANFIELD | $.01 per gallon |
CITY OF SANDY | $.01 per gallon |
CITY OF OAKRIDGE | $.03 per gallon |
CITY OF TROUTDALE | $.01 per gallon |
CITY OF PORTLAND (Expires in 2020) | $.10 per gallon |
CITY OF REEDSPORT (MAY – OCTOBER) | $.03 per gallon |
MULTNOMAH COUNTY | $.03 per gallon |
WASHINGTON COUNTY | $.01 per gallon |
Some of what we’ve heard so far:
- “Equity and fairness are important; everyone who uses the roads should pay their ‘fair’ share”
- “Trucks should pay more”
- “Everyone should see benefits”
- “Consider temporary funding”
- “Hold the city accountable for delivering results: better roads”
Questions
We have begun examining revenue needs to maintain our existing pavement. Some have expressed an interest in funding additional transportation infrastructure.
Schedule
There is still more information to examine about funding options
Late this fall, staff and consultants will draft a plan for pavement management and funding. City council will review the plan and take action. A new street utility fee and local gas tax could be approved and go into effect later in 2017.
Final Questions
Mailing List (Optional)
Provide the following optional contact information if you would like to receive email updates about the Pavement Maintenance and Funding Master Plan.
Demographic Information (Optional)
These next questions will help us know if we are hearing from a representative cross-section of the public.
