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AGENDA BILL Agenda Item No. 5(I) Date: August 18, 2015 To: El Cerrito City Council From: Yvetteh Ortiz, Public Works Director / City Engineer Subject: Support for New Sustainable Transportation Funding ACTION REQUESTED Adopt a resolution urging Governor Brown and the State Legislature to provide sufficient and stable sources of funding for local and state transportation infrastructure to ensure the safe and efficient mobility of the traveling public and the economic vitality of California. DISCUSSION State of California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. has called an extraordinary session to address the immense underfunding of California’s transportation infrastructure. Cities and counties own and operate more than 81 percent of streets and roads in California, and the public is dependent upon a safe, reliable local transportation network. The City of El Cerrito has previously participated in efforts with the California State Association of Counties, League of California Cities, and California’s Regional Transportation Planning to study unmet funding needs for local roads and bridges, including sidewalks and other essential components. The resulting 2014 California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment, which provides critical analysis and information on the local transportation network’s condition and funding needs, indicates that the condition of the local transportation network is deteriorating as predicted in the initial 2008 study. If funding remains at current inadequate levels, in 10 years a quarter of local streets and roads in California will be in “failed” condition. If additional funding isn’t secured now, it will cost taxpayers twice as much to fix the local transportation system in the future, as failure to act this year will increase unmet funding needs for local transportation facilities by $11 billion in five years and $21 billion in ten years. In 2008, El Cerrito voters passed Measure A, the El Cerrito Pothole Repair, Local Street Improvement and Maintenance Measure, a half-cent sales tax, to launch a comprehensive street pavement repair and maintenance program. Fortunately, the on-going funding from Measure A is now helping to maintain the City’s pavement in “very good” condition. However, significant needs remain in maintaining, repairing, and rehabilitating pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure including sidewalks, boardwalks and paths; replacing and updating traffic signal systems and traffic signs citywide; addressing a handful of local streets in need of total reconstruction; and miscellaneous other roadway work such repairs at creek overcrossings. New and sustainable sources of funding would help ensure the sustainability of El Cerrito’s transportation system. ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 5(1) The Resolution of Suppmi urges the Governor and Legislature to suppmi a transpmiation funding package that amounts to $6 billion annually for at least 10 years, funding be split equally between state and local governments and be spread across a broad range of funding sources to ensure no one source is increased too much. Additionally, the package should provide strong accountability provisions that protect taxpayers' investment. STRATEGIC PLAN CONSIDERATIONS Support for new sustainable transportation funding is consistent with the following El Ce1Tito Strategic Plan Goals: • Goal B - Achieve long-term .financial sustainability by tracking and promoting state and federal legislation that would create new funding oppmiunities; and • Goal D- Develop and rehabilitate public facilities as community focal points by helping to develop a plan to address ongoing and deferred maintenance of facilities and infrastructure. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS There is no direct environmental impact of suppmiing the new transpmiation funding. However, additional transpmiation funding will improve bicycle safety and make the pedestrian experience safer and more appealing, which leads to reduce vehicle emissions helping the State and City achieve air quality and greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS There is no financial obligation associated with the requested action. LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS There is no legal obligation associated with the requested action. 211 . Scott Hanin, City Manager Attachments: 1. Resolution Page 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda Item No. 5(I) Attachment 1 RESOLUTION NO. 2015–XX A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EL CERRITO URGING THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATURE TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT AND STABLE SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR LOCAL AND STATE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE WHEREAS, State of California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr. has called an extraordinary session to address the immense underfunding of California’s transportation infrastructure; and WHEREAS, cities and counties own and operate more than 81 percent of streets and roads in California, and from the moment we open our front door to drive to work, bike to school, or walk to the bus station, people are dependent upon a safe, reliable local transportation network; and WHEREAS, the City of El Cerrito has participated in efforts with the California State Association of Counties, League of California Cities, and California’s Regional Transportation Planning Agencies to study unmet funding needs for local roads and bridges, including sidewalks and other essential components; and WHEREAS, the resulting 2014 California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment, which provides critical analysis and information on the local transportation network’s condition and funding needs, indicates that the condition of the local transportation network is deteriorating as predicted in the initial 2008 study; and WHEREAS, the results show that California’s local streets and roads are on a path of significant decline. On a scale of zero (failed) to 100 (excellent), the statewide average pavement condition index (PCI) is 66, placing it in the “at risk” category where pavements will begin to deteriorate much more rapidly and require rehabilitation or rebuilding rather than more cost-effective preventative maintenance if funding is not increased; and WHEREAS, as a result of local funding from Measure A, the El Cerrito Pothole Repair, Local Street Improvement and Maintenance Measure, a half-cent sales tax, the City of El Cerrito’s local streets have a statewide average pavement index of 85, placing us in the “very good” category, but significant needs remain in addressing pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, traffic signal systems and signs, and other roadway work; and WHEREAS, if funding remains at the current levels, in 10 years, 25 percent of local streets and roads in California will be in “failed” condition; and WHEREAS, cities and counties need an additional $1.7 billion just to maintain a status quo pavement condition of 66, and much more revenue to operate the system with Best Management Practices, which would reduce the total amount of funding needed for maintenance in the future; and ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 2 WHEREAS, models show that an additional $3 billion annual investment in the local streets and roads system is expected to improve pavement conditions statewide from an average “at risk” condition to an average “good” condition; and WHEREAS, if additional funding isn’t secured now, it will cost taxpayers twice as much to fix the local system in the future, as failure to act this year will increase unmet funding needs for local transportation facilities by $11 billion in five years and $21 billion in ten years; and WHEREAS, modernizing the local street and road system provides well-paying construction jobs and boosts local economies; and WHEREAS, the local street and road system is also critical for farm to market needs, interconnectivity, multimodal needs, and commerce; and WHEREAS, police, fire, and emergency medical services all need safe reliable roads to react quickly to emergency calls and a few minutes of delay can be a matter of life and death; and WHEREAS, maintaining and preserving the local street and road system in good condition will reduce drive times and traffic congestion, improve bicycle safety, and make the pedestrian experience safer and more appealing, which leads to reduce vehicle emissions helping the State achieve its air quality and greenhouse gas emissions reductions goals; and WHEREAS, restoring roads before they fail also reduces construction time which results in less air pollution from heavy equipment and less water pollution from site run- off; and WHEREAS, in addition to the local system, the state highway system needs an additional $5.7 billion annually to address the state’s deferred maintenance; and WHEREAS, in order to bring the local system back into a cost-effective condition, at least $7.3 billion annually would be needed in new money going directly to cities and counties; and NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City Council of the City of El Cerrito strongly urges the Governor and Legislature to identity sufficient and stable funding sources for local street and road and state highway maintenance and rehabilitation to ensure the safe and efficient mobility of the traveling public and the economic vitality of California. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the City of El Cerrito strongly urges the Governor and Legislature to adopt the following priorities for funding California’s streets and roads. 1. Make a significant investment in transportation infrastructure. Any package should seek to raise at least $6 billion annually and should remain in place for at least 10 years or until an alternative method of funding our transportation system is agreed upon. ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 3 2. Focus on maintaining and rehabilitating the current system. Repairing California’s streets and highways involves much more than fixing potholes. It requires major road pavement overlays, fixing unsafe bridges, providing safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians, replacing storm water culverts, as well as operational improvements that necessitate the construction of auxiliary lanes to relieve traffic congestion choke points and fixing design deficiencies that have created unsafe merging and other traffic hazards. Efforts to supply funding for transit in addition to funding for roads should also focus on fixing the system first. 3. Equal split between state and local projects. We support sharing revenue for roadway maintenance equally (50/50) between the state and cities and counties, given the equally-pressing funding needs of both systems, as well as the longstanding historical precedent for collecting transportation user fees through a centralized system and sharing the revenues across the entire network through direct subventions. Ensuring that funding to local governments is provided directly, without intermediaries, will accelerate project delivery and ensure maximum accountability. 4. Raise revenues across a broad range of options. Research by the California Alliance for Jobs and Transportation California shows that voters strongly support increased funding for transportation improvements. They are much more open to a package that spreads potential tax or fee increases across a broad range of options, including fuel taxes, license fees, and registration fees, rather than just one source. Additionally, any package should move California toward an all-users pay structure, in which everyone who benefits from the system contributes to maintaining it – from traditional gasoline-fueled vehicles, to new hybrids or electric vehicles, to commercial vehicles. 5. Invest a portion of diesel tax and/or cap & trade revenue to high- priority goods movement projects. While the focus of a transportation funding package should be on maintaining and rehabilitating the existing system, California has a critical need to upgrade the goods movement infrastructure that is essential to our economic well-being. Establishing a framework to make appropriate investments in major goods movement arteries can lay the groundwork for greater investments in the future that will also improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 6. Strong accountability requirements to protect the taxpayers’ investment. Voters and taxpayers must be assured that all transportation revenues are spent responsibly. Local governments are accustomed to employing transparent processes for selecting road maintenance projects aided by pavement management systems, as well ---PAGE BREAK--- Page 4 as reporting on the expenditure of transportation funds through the State Controller’s Local Streets and Roads Annual Report. 7. Provide Consistent Annual Funding Levels. Under current statute, the annual gas tax adjustment by the Board of Equalization is creating extreme fluctuations in funding levels – a $900 million drop in this budget year alone. A transportation funding package should contain legislation that will create more consistent revenue projections and allow Caltrans and transportation agencies the certainty they need for longer term planning. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Resolution shall become effective immediately upon passage and adoption. I CERTIFY that at a regular meeting on August 18, 2015, the City Council of the City of El Cerrito passed this Resolution by the following vote: AYES: COUNCILMEMBERS: NOES: COUNCILMEMBERS: ABSTAIN: COUNCILMEMBERS: ABSENT: COUNCILMEMBERS: IN WITNESS of this action, I sign this document and affix the corporate seal of the City of El Cerrito on August XX, 2015. Cheryl Morse, City Clerk APPROVED: Mark Friedman, Mayor