HomeMy WebLinkAbout51-15 RESOLUTION 51-15
RESOLUTION OF THE TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS
URGING THE STATE TO PROVIDE NEW SUSTAINABLE FUNDING FOR STATE
AND LOCAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE
WHEREAS, 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 Town of Los Altos Hills 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, the Town of Los Altos Hills Public Works Department has identified over $2.9
million in street repairs that will need to be completed in the next five years on its major arterial
and collector roads in order to maintain its current PCI. These include Altamont Road, Elena
Road, Fremont Road, Moody Road, Purissima Road, and Robleda Road; 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
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
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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 in new money going directly to cities and counties; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE TOWN
OF LOS ALTOS HILLS strongly urges the Governor and Legislature to identity a sufficient
and stable funding source 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.
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Town of Los Altos Hills 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.
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
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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.
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 as reporting on the expenditure of
transportation funds through the State Controller's Local Streets and Roads
Annual Report.
6. 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
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more consistent revenue projections and allow Caltrans and transportation
agencies the certainty they need for longer term planning.
The above and foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the City Council of the Town of
Los Altos Hills at a regular meeting held on the 20th day of August, 2015 by the following vote:
AYES: Corrigan, Harpootlian, Larsen, Radford, Waldeck
NOES: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: None
BY:
Courtenay CAigan, Mayor
ATTEST:
Deborah Padovan, City Clerk
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