Fixing our Streets
(NEW! 4-16-08)
We CAN repair our streets and that means fixing POTHOLES! The general approach to do so will require us to prioritize needs and create an annual line item for streets in the general fund budget. The public should not be forced to pay extra for services that are high community priorities such as street repair and public safety. Existing gas tax revenue should be used to reduce the backlog. Details on my position appear below.
A. Potholes Are a Priority.
The city must establish spending priorities for services that are most important to the community. Priority services should be among the top expenditures from the general fund. I believe that filling potholes and keeping our roads in good repair is a top priority. The City Council seems to agree. Nonetheless, our roads have not been receiving necessary allocations from the general fund for potholes and other repairs.
B. $3.5 Million General Fund Allocation.
I propose allocating $3.5 million from the city general fund each year specifically for the maintenance of city roads. To determine which potholes are the biggest problems, community residents should submit what they feel to be their highest priority pothole problems. These would be submitted to the Budget Committee for citywide prioritization. Professionals from the Public Works Department would help review the list, and help allocate the $3.5 million on a priority basis each year.
C. We Shouldn’t Hold the Public Hostage.
The city should not fund ongoing road maintenance with extra assessments. To seek funding outside the general fund for priority services is tantamount to holding the public hostage. We should not go to the voters for additional funding to maintain roads unless the $3.5 million general fund allocation proves insufficient to handle annual needs.
The city’s current backlog for necessary road repairs will require a different funding source—but not a new one. After three years of spending virtually nothing on roads, the backlog currently is upwards of $170 million and climbing. I believe that $3.5 million allocated from the general fund on an annual basis will keep the backlog from growing. To reduce the backlog, the city should use an additional $3.5 million each year that is available from the local gas tax.
We cannot solve the whole backlog problem now. But we can stop the hemorrhaging and chip away at the backlog over time.
D. Effect on Funding for Existing Services..
The economic well-being of our society is being strained right now. As a consequence, this also is a time of reduced government revenues. Creating a general fund allocation for annual road repairs will affect the level of spending on other services.
Eugene’s citizens face the same type of decisions with our household budgets when income is not sufficient to meet all of our needs. We spend on the highest priorities first. We learn to live within our means. The city must do the same. We must find ways to economize.
E. Lost State Transportation Funding.
The Mayor seems opposed to roadway improvement in any form. After the last two public votes for construction of the West Eugene Parkway, the Mayor killed the project and called it a “boondoggle.” Her action deprived Eugene of some $80 million in funding from the state, which went elsewhere.
F. Larger Transportation Projects.
If we cannot handle our basic transportation needs, it is unrealistic to think we can handle large transportation projects. This is especially true now, when we have alienated key government partners.
Transportation must be viewed regionally. We have alienated the city of Springfield, our traditional partner, by refusing to fulfill one of our key regional planning responsibilities to undertake a buildable lands study. Springfield petitioned the state legislature to revoke a long-standing joint powers agreement on urban growth planning. The legislature overwhelmingly approved the petition.