We Don't Need No Stinkin' Potholes!

This year, Council’s budget for overlaying streets is $450,000, which is up from the original number of $350,00, which is up from the most recent former city manager’s number of $250,000.

The number that staff gave to Council last fall for this work was $608,000. Rather than funding streets first, Council funded its communication budget. (You may have recently seen some of your tax dollars hard at work on the communications front.)

A new city study estimates the cost to resurface streets in need of current attention is $1,888,651.05 if "diamond grinding" is used. This work would need to be redone in ten years. The cost is $2,918,165.25 if asphalt overlay is used. This work would need to be redone in ten years.

This list of problem areas includes 17 street segments in the city. This reflects a fraction of the total streets in our community that we now have responsibility to maintain.

Staff is recommending $670,747.98 be spent for resurfacing in 2011. (This is a planning number. Bids could come in as much as 10% lower.) This plan reflects funding somewhere between 23 and 35% of the work that needs to be addressed at this time.

No action has been suggested to address the $220,000 difference between this year’s budget and staff recommendation. If this money is not spent, the streets should be expected to fall into further disrepair. I support this expenditure, as well as additional funding that is needed for streets.

In addition to these items, additional “tear and patch work” is also needed in 2011. That work would require still additional funding. If this work comes out of the repair budget, other repairs already planned would go unaddressed. And yet this work also needs to be done at this time.

A member of council asked about one invoice item at Tuesday night’s council meeting. Staff explained they had spoken with a financial advisor that might be introduced to council in case a G.O. bond was floated in the future. This could be a smart step in raising your taxes to take responsibility for costs associated with maintaining our streets.

Please join with me in thanking staff and council for paying attention to this important city business. Don't you wish they would focus more on city issues, and meddle less in the affairs of other community entities?