Item A: Road Fund Update - Laserfiche WebLink

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Street Lighting Maintenance and Operations – Arterial and Collector ($438,000) - The ongoing maintenance of street lights includes maintaining the fixtures, underground conduits, changing bulbs, repairing crash damage and electrical costs. By turning off the street lights along arterial and collector system, the streets would be darker and the opportunity for crime would increase. Streets will be less safe for pedestrians and cyclists on these higher speed routes as they will only be illuminated by vehicle headlights. A small cost for removing hazards within the infrastructure would still exist as the poles and electrical system would deteriorate over time. Underground facilities will still need to be located when construction activity occurs in the vicinity. Organizational, Department and Division Administration ($413,000) – As street programs and positions are eliminated; the Road Fund’s allocable share of organizational central service and department administration costs would also be reduced. Division administration and support positions would be eliminated in response to the reduced workload as a result of direct service eliminations and reductions. Street Lighting Maintenance and Operations – Residential ($377,000) - The ongoing maintenance of street lights includes maintaining the poles, fixtures, conduits, changing bulbs, repairing crash damage and electrical costs. As with the Arterial and Collector Street Lighting reduction described above, the streets would be darker and less safe, and the opportunity for crime would increase. A small budget would remain for removing hazards and locating underground facilities to support construction. Street Median Maintenance Program ($300,000) – This program entails all aspects of maintaining the tree, shrub, turf, and groundcover plantings in over 28 acres of medians, roadsides, and traffic circles, including plantings along all categories of streets from residential and neighborhood collector to major arterial streets. Reductions in the program will have a very visible impact on the community, reducing the colorful and dynamic right-of-way plantings which define the entranceways to the city, enhance the neighborhoods and support the community’s goals of sustainability and livability. Along major arterials, th such as the Ferry Street Bridge corridor, West 11Avenue, and the Chambers Connector, about 23 acres of plantings will be removed, and the irrigation systems will be abandoned. Shrubs, smaller trees and flowering plants will be removed and replaced with unirrigated turf, bark, and other low-maintenance landscape types. Crack Sealing Program ($298,000) - Crack sealing is a preventative maintenance program that seals cracks within the street surface area by application of a flexible sealant to the failed area. By sealing the cracks, water is prevented from entering the road base and weakening the street structure. If cracks are sealed early enough, the life of the street is prolonged, resulting in lower maintenance costs in the long run and buying an additional three to five years before the street needs a major capital overlay. With the elimination of this service, we would see an increase in the number of potholes and other surface distresses, and streets would fail more quickly, resulting in higher maintenance costs in the short run and eventually leading to a premature need for a street overlay or even a complete reconstruction, driving up the city’s backlog of needed major street repair projects. Hazard Tree Inspection and Removal Program ($200,000) - Elimination of the Hazard Tree Inspection and Removal program would remove the City’s ability to respond to reports of trees with failing limbs or entire trees which threaten to fall. Staff would no longer respond to reports of imminent failures, trees that are hazardous because of damage or significant structural defects, or trees that are hazardous because of disease and would not provide an inspecting and consulting service to property owners who are concerned about the soundness of the street trees adjacent to their property. Without a City program, the responsibility for removal will fall on the adjacent land owner, who will be less likely to recognize and manage the tree health issues that are currently managed through the program currently. Unless property owners are diligent about removing the hazardous trees, public safety will be impacted as weak and