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Home My WebLink About1984 Special Report . � I � - � . O;' �lA,� Q : �_ ::::::::::::::::::::.:::::::.:::::::::.:. �o rQe s o ��_..:�:::.:=:� ::�� ::,:._:::.:_:: .: � ; ::::{ � � f;3��:� � .,.;.5.;`^•,•:;+ • � �96s. �,► , '�Zr �� .:. SPEClAL RE�ORT . �a� a wPrepared by ROBERT STANKUS - � - � ��.� � . �. _ ��';"� �aa ��dn��. . avi n .ro� � , ��,� ��x�. � � _ �� _ �� -: � : � - �� .. O . . - R � Rl�� a � �e . � � . . �� o �� . ��'�w ea � . . � �. : _�� - � That pothole your car bounces over every associated with that program. Petroleum is � � - day on your way to work is a nuisance,but the largest single expenditure in the main- it doesn't make the road undrivable. And tenance of street pavement. In the ten years those patchwork cracks on your neighbor- since the Arab Oil Embargo, the cosz of .�� b hood street may be unsightly, but it's petroleum used in asphalt paving concrete ` `� ; � �., unlikely you or anyone will storm City Hall has increased to ten times its 1973 price. � � ` .� ��. ��K ��'�, demanding they be fixed. Nevertheless, The result is that asphalt that cost$7 a ton ` '�°��a �� : '� �--� g-� the need exists for a well-planned,effective in 1970 costs$35 a ton today. ` � r�,,.j��-�, , � �"`' � , - and cost-efficient road maintenance �� ' �` ��''° �- �;. � `"'� program as many of Saratoga's streets Unfortunately,city revenues used for - � �� ,� �� approach the end of their lifespan. street maintenance purposes have not risen °��,;� � .�- � � °�� & ;�_ � proportionate to the costs of maintenance. '�-��'� The simple fact is that Saratoga, like In fact,in some years the amountof revenues many o�r-cities across the nation, is faced has actually declined. with aging and deteriorating streets at a time when City finances are tight and there is . Faced with the dilemma of deteriorating little extra money available for street streets,decreasing revenues and increas+ng maintenance. The experience of many other costs,the Saratoga City Council set out in �,��ies,however,has demonstrated that while February of 1982 to resolve the pavement , the effects of neglect may go unnoticed by management problem. Included in this ,� � s�— the average driver,continued neglect of Special Report is not only a description of street maintenance can lead to enormous the situation and possible solutions,but also ' � bills and headaches for both citizens and city a request by the City Council for Saratoga . officials. Considering that Saratoga's 243 residents to voice their opinions on the � miles of street have a replacement value of pavement management issue. A public R.OAD WRINKLES. Th is Sa ra�og� street shows over$37 million,the need for a program to hearing will be held Wednesday,March 7 at the si ns of old a@. preserve that investment becomes obvious. . 8:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers. g g Most of Saratoga's residential streets were City of Saratoga � built in the 1950's and 1960's. Given that . BULK RATE the normal life expectancy of asphalt 13777 FI'UItVBI@ AV@1111@ ' U.S.POSTAGE pavement is approximately 20 to 25 years, Sa 1'a tOgB Ca I If01'11 la 9 'rJO7O PAID the time has come when Saratoga's streeu ' Saratoga,CA ought to begin undergoing a facelift. Such a Permit 136 , program of periodic maintenance is referred to as"Pavement Management." . CARRIER ROUTE-PRE-SORT Costs Increasing, Revenues Decreasing While the need for a program of pavement management has increased, so have the costs _ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . i ` . . . � - - � - . , � � _.�:;.._:_..:,.._ _ __- __ _ _ .. _ _ � _ �._ _ _._ __- �-_ __ . F - -_- __ _ _ • � _ - - _ , _ . _ oRaN��nn . . . � MEN� , , . , � � � � p: The CitY of Saratoga � � � , T , avement Maintenance, Inc. � FROM� P � � avement management program � , RE: A�ity"Wide p ard to � � on the other hand,cost from $.21 per square y � ro ram? �f $3.00 per square yard. . � need a pavement maintenance p S ement � � Does Saratoga really avement manag � what ought that program involve an nswered for hemt�as t7 he report reacted to the absence of��h t a city like Saratoga � it does, T officials had those questions a p�ogram in Saratoga by calling it odd , Saratoga City range plan for protecting its"investment" -- � ' summer when they commissioned Pavement Maaved streetsnc to Would have no long onduct an analysis of the city's 243 miles of p �acement cost of over$37 �'�'��110�� f � ° � the City's streeu have a rep a 1982 field survey of the condition Saratoga wants to avoid a p redicament where it is forced to spe�hen � '� data collected during � explained why Saratoga m��ons to replace deteriorated roads,the report recommends, , Usi g ort not on y h Saratoga street,the rep but also detailed a city- a rogram of pavement maintenance must be initiated as soon as of eac ro ram, P � needs a pavement management p g and replacing citY streets. possible. � wide program for maintaining,repairing � the report made several significant such factors as the traffic load,the age and the ' ` In its analysis of Saratoga s needs, After considering street in Saratoga,ihe report � observations. present surface condition of every erformed on each of ' � ' increases the established a schedule of maintenance to be p � , � Preventative maintenance signif�lifetof a paved street d new techniques now � ) rmal those streets. Included in that schedane are recommendations for lifetime of city streets. The no various preven- ecifies which ' ears. BY uti�izmg taking advantage of new eQuiPm ` is approximately 2�Y ro riate times, available for pavement maintenance. The report also sp 1� tative maintenance techniques at app p _ � of the various maintenance and repair techniques would be most � � avement can be increased to ! ` however,the useful life of Pears. ' ° effective for.each:street. , . ' anywhere from 75 to 100 y ' � - lanned street maintenance, Finally,the report calcufated the budgeti hat� d cond tion and t - � (2) Failure to adopt well p �ause ro rams will only to maintain those streets that are currently n g ' preservation and reconstructi1e? aeteriorate. W�thout ent rogram,the report estimated y repair or replace those that are�ub-p ndard. In order to carry out , the streets' conditions to e�o ram,pavement problems an effective pavement manage roximately $900,000 a pavement management p g W��be faced the cost to the city of Saratoga would be app will reach a critical sta�d reGonst uction task that wil� per year. with an overwhelming ort's findings and recommendations,the � be difficult to fund. After reviewinS the rep endent expert in pave- � � less Council commissioned an indep Saratoga City � (3) Preventative maintenan Tne cost of'reh bi tating W minor differences,the second opinion ement techniques to evaluate the meth'ods and resu ts o � ment manag � than major reconstruction. roaches$21.50 pe� the analysis. Except for a fe ' neglected and damaged streets app ro rams, 's findings• � square yard. The cost of.various p reventative p g verified the first study ' �:� �£� 3 � -i�S``�':S`,Y,f�"�$ M . i�, E i � . � ;� � 1 I. . , u, g � � »:� � : . . , _. . _ _ ... ._ _- _ ___ . ' . .:� ' '_. __ __ . __.__.. . . .__. —,. . ___ _—__ —_� �� ""� � ��`�,a��;� a. ��* � ��g , :.,. PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE � ��r��°�� ^� ��" �� "•� H �� can increase a street's life from � � h � � � � � � � �� o s �� = � 75 to 100 yea rs. � ,�� Z �; � 3. �.� � � � �� y �` q` � �c� � ��SP Q�; �� 5..�� .�s _ _ ____ -__—_ _ __._� —__— . �fi��'�F,A��_� ; a k, � � �a�%,k � y -- §s .`"�;'k7 . � _' '_ __—_.__— _—__._-- _ _.__ — A F d' ,�T�, f .� _ � ��. � � ¢ " � g E 3 _ � k �+; . i. 3�i F �Y ��" �,ji::�� '� �.-ra�. `� � €.�§�� q}�� + �� '��'r- Y ' � K h� � ,3 ��h ko� . 3 xa � �a g3 ^,'m, �-` . �s F E F�� '� *F 5 �� 5`S, �+ `� " � �� t� La��-��4�„yYas"; `� � ,�Y. . . S''E°�� t b,3 Y' �.<, . � s- � � e�m � s� rw a w� �.v^.,5 _ �s�' � .__a. �.. ,:_ c ,>..F .s. ,3, �,....� . ,....r.� . .. � . ._. . , I ' ' ' ' ' . . .,�,.'. .,. .,. � .,.'. .'. .•. .�. . . . . . � .�.�. . � . , . . , , . . . . . .. o . . . .� . . . . . . . . . . . . . � . --__ - - -- _- - -- - --- --- --_ , --- - - - � - �� - - � � , . � j. � � - There seems to be little debate over Saratoga's need for a pave- (3) Utility User Tax � ment management prograrra. Unfortunately,the$900,000 price tag - accompanying such a program is beyond the resources of the City's The Utility User Tax is imposed on the consumer of � - current operating budget. � electric,gas,phone,water and other utility services. Current rates range from 1 -10%with 5%being average. � As the graph on this page indicates,gas taxes,federal aid and The tax,collected by the utility companies, is based on a traffic fines are the current sources of revenue for financing street percentage of the amount billed to each consumer for maintenance. Together they provide Saratoga with approximately such service. Revenues received from the tax are then $450,000 per year. That amount,however, is barely enough to passed on to the city. In Santa Clara County,cities satisfy the City's minimum annual street maintenance requirements which now have a utility tax include San Jose (5%), (e.g.filling potholes),maintenance for safety and control devices, Sunnyvale (2%), Mountain View (3%), Morgan Hill and requirements for storm clean-up and repairs. Consequently, if �5%),and Gilroy(5%). the$900,000 pavement management program recommended by PMI Approximately $900,000 per year would be raised by is to be adopted,the city will have to generate an additional$850,000 assessing a 5%tax rate. Each 1%levied would produce per year in new or re-allocated revenues. approximately $185,000 per year. The average cost to a q household would be about$95. - �`� �� Is it a II necessa ry? �4) Sale or Lease of City-0wned Property �'-� '� �r"� „ � . Some questions have been raised as to whether it is necessary to The City is authorized to sell or�lease city-owned land, ��' ; `� commit the entire$900,000 to a maintenance program. Wouldn't it and the interest from that sale would be used to finance _� be possible to begin with partial implementation of the program? street repairs. Three undeveloped parcels of land that � ;�� may potentially be sources of revenue are the Cox/ - �� ` � �u � , Virtually any funds provided for pavement management will Saratoga-Sunnyvale location,and the undeveloped ` " 4'��" � im prove the current tevels of street maintenance in Sarato ga. The -�portions.of Azule Park and Kevin Moran Park. �,� , report warns,however,that the full amount required to maintain ��,' pavements according to the prescribed schedule ought to be While it is difficult to calculate the exact revenue that �� yYY provided. If it is not,some maintenance that should be performed would be generated,the estimated yearly revenues ' B� witl be delayed. Over time there will be many streets that are not from interest on the sale of those parcels range from � -� � brought up to acceptable standards. In time,those streets will $460,000 to$645,000. It should be noted that restric- �< '� � re uire more extensive rehabilitation at a si nificantl reater cost. tions a I m to the sale of the land ma revent y'' q S Y8 PPY� g YP ��,�� . their sale or lease for a period of time. "� �� . :��' Financing Alternatives � In June of 1983,the Saratoga City Council requested that the Maintenance Requirements and Revenues City's Finance Committee prepare a report summarizing the alter- ' natives available for generating revenues sufficient to finance the Qol lare - ln Thousa,ds . 1600 _ _ ^:��, IB00 pavement management program. The"Report on Revenue Increas- a,;�}i ing Options"highlighted the following alternatives as potential ' �dditio�al . ��.; Pavemarit Requirements � � °��°�U Manogement SOUrceS Of feVenUe. 1400 1400 . l� �� (1) HotelOccupancyTax �� ]2OO � �°�� '' iraffic �°��"',� ' " ��:� 12� Other This tax is levied on those who rent tem ora lod in Fines �< �� '� �a�' P rY g B Improvemente (for periods less than 30 days) in hotels or motels. e 'g `:f; Saratoga is one of the few cities in the state that has � ��Q `.�� '�,�� never adopted such a tax. The rate of taxation ranges �� 4 �,�� Federo! Ald � • Traffic from 1%to 1 0%,wit h t he majority averaging a bout 6%. ��:-'` Ur6an 800 �„ 800 Safety A tax of 8%would currently bring the City about �:=; p�� $17,000 in new revenue. 9� L_X�.I 600 �.� � ,�� ' 600 (2) Business License Tax Gas Toxes .y�� Storm Clean- �� - Up 8 Repairs ��f�� ,•.: Most cities impose a Business License Tax based either _ 100 � 400 � �. on a business'sales,or levied at a fixed rate. Saratoga's `�; ��t;,., business tax curre�tly stands at a fixed $35 per year and d � �� 20Q a '�`. 200 Normal has not been changed since 1968. If adjusted for infla- Ma;ntenance � tion,the tax would rise to about$100 per year. The " � ` - average business tax in nearby communities is about p " -- 0 $80. If raised to$100,the Saratoga Business License ReV@rlll@S REC��11re171er1tS /� Tax would raise an additional $70,000 per year. . . . , . . . . . � . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . - , . � . . � . , t, . .. a . . ,� � . is Y �+ � i � � .._.n . �y,.i- - � . , T.he�SaratogaCity Cou'ncil's;current fi:le on pavemenE management Proceeds from Sale of . � . - \ . : � _ - ;,and stree.t maintenance requirements dates back.two years to Feb- Property. . _ � . . �• : ' ' . . ruary 1982.,At'that time the City's Finance Corrimittee and the . - � � : �- :.��; _ , �" ; 'Cit,y Councii wanted to know how rfluch of the City's street main�- � . a. Cox/Sara-S.Vale , $700,000 per year �" - tenance requicements were going,unfunded. In response, the City_ ` � � - � � ��. Maintenance Department roughly estimated that the City's unmet b. Kevin Moran Rark � ' $200,000 pec year • � � maintenance n�eds totaled over one,million dollars per year. ', (undeveloped portion) • " . "e . ' n Since then;Saratoga Mayor David Moyles and;Council.Members Utility User Tax � . $450,000 per year � � � . Virginia Fanelli, Linda Callon; John Mallory, and Martha Clevenge`r,". Rate of 2.5%. . : � � • : � , ` - have taken a series of steps toward satisfying the City's pavement .' (each`additional 1%would , . maintenance needs. A series of public hearings on.the issue.have generate�:$185,000 revenue) � ` - - ' � � been held: The Council hascommissioned several qualified experts ' � in paverr�ent maintenance to provide them with detailed reports TOTAL 5860,OOOperyear ; ; ' and analyses of the City's road conditions. Finally,the Council has ' � - . worked'with the City Finance Committee to determine whether a � � financing program for pavement management is feasible. , Already some citizeris have voiced their concern that some ' mechanism be established to periodically review any pavement` - . Several revenue-raising�options.have been investigated and the maintenance program which might be adopted. In response to. : , ; . � � � Council is currently offering foc public consideration and comment that concern,the Council has emphasized that any pavement the following funding"package." This proposal would draw the management program, including its funding mechanisin,�wou'Id be , • needed revenue from a combination of four different sources. subject to review by the Council every two years. At that time, ' � � . the Gouncil would not only evaluate the.effectiveness of the r , pavement maintenance program, but would also review the adequacy r Source . . Revenue.Generated -of the program's financing. � .. . � � � e Increase Business License $40,000 per year , � a . _ Tax to $75.00 "flat" rate Other community members expressed concern that money ,y' - . �� raised for pavement management may not be used for that,purpose. _ Adopt Transient Occupancy $17,000 per�year Consequently, the Council has begun developing a policy statement Tax at 8% which guarantees that any new revenue thaf might be generated for � . . � (Approved Villa�e Inn) $53,000 per year pavement management will be used only for pavement management. 4 . � , y � - � . . •_ . � - � , ,: _ ..'� � � The above proposal was deyeloped to serve as a springboard for � -_ _ further discussion on the pave�nent management issue. The City , � i� � Q'�.-' s - Councif is now actively soliciting input from all member.s of the -� Saratoga community regarding-how the pavement maintenance- � � , � needs can be met. If you've got some ideas of your own, or are � - concerned about how the program might affect your life, or if.you ' �- - simply want to find out more about what's being done to insure . ; - your safety on Saratoga's streets,;a public.hearing on the issue will be held Wednesday, March 7 at 8:00 p.m. in the City Council � I� - _ Chambers at the Saratoga Community Center. �� - � � � � - �� , �• , . , y . ' `t _ _ - _ �� . . �K � . . . �: � � � ' .� a_ . � . . � . . , . . � . . . .-. . � � . . . . . . . . . . . . .� . � i . . . . � .. . . . . . . � r . . � � . � . � . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � . � � . . � .