TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager, subsequent to the adoption of the Capital Improvement Program on an annual basis, to present Councilmembers with recommendations for residential street work allocating 50 percent of each District's residential street repair funding to preventative street maintenance and 50 percent to street repaving or rebuilding.
DISCUSSION
Due to years of difficult budget cuts, zero General Fund dollars are currently dedicated citywide for ongoing street maintenance, such as slurry sealing asphalt streets. Citywide money for residential street repairs in FY11 was provided by Measure R in the amou nt of $3,131,201, which was distributed to the nine districts in allocations determined by both need and an equitable distribution through the districts. Typically, these funds are used to repave or rebuild streets at a cost of approximately $3.50 and $6.50 per square foot, respectively. In construction, maintaining a street can be as much as 13 times cheaper, as slurry sealing costs approximately $0.50 per square foot
While council districts have taken different approaches to the use of their limited residential street work dollars, a "worst first" strategy has sometimes been utilized in which the worst streets in a district are the first slated for repaving or replacement While such an approach is intuitive, it is not the most efficient use of scarce dollars. According to the City Auditor's 2008 street review, "Extensive research has demonstrated that it is more economical in the long run to invest early in maintaining streets that are still in good condition than it is to defer maintenance until streets have deteriorated and more expensive repairs are needed. (Long Beach Streets Review Phase II, page 2). Additionally, the American Public Works Association states that "[p ]reventing streets in good condition from slipping into deterioration will break the chronic cycle" of paying more money for worse roads. (The Hole Story: Facts and Fallacies of Potholes, 11)
At the same time, there is a need for the City to tackle the worst streets that diminish the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Therefore, it would be prudent for the City to spend resources on both preventative maintenance and making essential repairs.
Money spent on preventative maintenance such as slurry sealing reduces street degradation and postpones the costly repaving or rebuilding resulting from deferred maintenance. Public Works has estimated that over a 20 year period, and assuming a consistent annual investment of $4 million in residential street repair, reallocating residential street funding to 50% maintenance (e.g., slurry seal) and 50% repair could result in efficiency savings of approximately $30 million. By pursuing a consistent investment in preventative maintenance, we can get better streets over the long run with the same amount of financial resources.
Under this proposal the City Manager, through the Public Works Department, would present each Councilmember with a proposed allocation of residential street work every year that splits existing dollars equally between maintenance and major repairs (I.e., traditional repaving or rebuilding) for each district. Maintenance activities could consist of slurry sealing or other techniques that maintain street quality at a cost significantly less than reconstruction. While each Councilmember would retain the discretion to modify this proposed allocation to accommodate any special needs in the district, presenting a proposed maintenance allocation would encourage the re-institutionalization of routine street maintenance in Long Beach and focus more on our City's long-term needs than short-term fixes. Pothole repairs are budgeted for separately by the City, and would not be affected by this proposal.
FISCAL IMPACT
If all Councilmembers were to utilize the staff recommended allocation outlined in this memo, and assuming a consistent annual investment of $4 million, efficiency savings to the city are estimated at $30 million dollars over 20 years in terms of street repairs avoided with proper maintenance.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
COUNCILMEMBER JAMES JOHNSON
SEVENTH DISTRICT
VICE MAYOR SUJA LOWENTHAL
SECOND DISTRICT
COUNCILMEMBER GARY DELONG
THIRD DISTRICT