Item B: Transportation System Maintenance Fee

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ATTACHMENT B Public Works Administration City of Eugene 858 Pearl Street M Eugene, Oregon 97401 EMORANDUM (541) 682-5241 (541) 682-6826 FAX www.ci.eugene.or.us Date: July 24, 2006 To: Mayor Piercy and City Council From: Eric Jones, Public Works Public Affairs Manager Subject: Transportation Funding/Pavement Preservation Public Outreach and Involvement Plan Communication Plan Strategic Elements The goals of public outreach and involvement around locally controlled, sustainable funding for pavement preservation and other transportation services are to provide information to citizens about pavement preservation and maintenance services, including how these services are delivered and currently funded in Eugene; and to provide information to and receive input from potential feepayers regarding a transportation system maintenance fee (TSMF), including how such a fee would be structured and how it would affect them. A number of strategies can be used to help achieve these communication goals: ? We will integrate public opinion on transportation funding in a broad programmatic effort that includes legislative solutions and long-term, viable partnerships with other governmental agencies. ? We will incorporate valuable insights we receive from Council direction as well as from interviews with opinion leaders, staff focus groups, and analysis of what other Oregon cities have done in area of transportation funding. ? We will tailor our outreach mechanisms to reach targeted audiences as well as the general public. ? We will develop a strong internal communications element to inform and involve employees. ? We will build on the successes established in the 2002 “Take a Closer Look” campaign. ? We will emphasize the pavement preservation projects completed in the past several years. We have a number of key audiences and stakeholders with whom we need to communicate. These include neighborhood groups; local ratepayers; business affiliations (e.g., Grocers Association, restaurant owners); school districts and the University of Oregon, officials from local agencies such as Lane County, Eugene Water & Electric Board, the Oregon Department of Transportation, and the City of Springfield; City of Eugene employees; and the media. Among the key messages: ? The city of Eugene and the Eugene Public Works Department are accountable for and are doing a good job of using the transportation funds they currently have. ? It’s very important to maintain our existing streets to keep them from falling into greater disrepair. ? The best funding strategy for maintenance of our transportation system is to use locally controlled, sustainable sources of revenue. ? The fairest and most equitable way to distribute the cost of maintaining our local transportation system is a combination of funding sources, such as a local gas tax and a local transportation system maintenance fee. ? Everyone benefits from a well-maintained transportation system.