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STREET REPAIR FUNDING |
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Vivian Moon
MUSA Council Joined: May 16 2008 Location: Middletown, Ohi Status: Offline Points: 4187 |
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Posted: Dec 28 2014 at 8:55am |
Posted: 12:00 a.m.
Sunday, Dec. 28, 2014 Politics, funding put speed bumps in street
repairs
By Michael D. Pitman and Ed Richter Staff Writer Cities and townships in Millions of dollars are invested annually
into the county’s roadways. However, the funding supply doesn’t meet the demand
of repair — especially in The Butler County Engineer’s Office is
charged with paving the roadways of all the townships in the county. Over the
past 11 years has spent an annual average of $6.5 million in capital projects
and $1.48 million in paving projects and maintain 268 centerline miles of
roadway in And while 96 percent of “Our biggest struggle with maintenance
currently is paving,” said Butler County Engineer Greg Wilkens, who added the
county has 4.4 million square yards of pavement under his responsibility. Right now, the engineer’s office will
address paving issues for county roads in a 26-year cycle. But the standard is
15 years, Wilkens said, and that will take an additional $1.1 million a year in
today’s dollars to accomplish that. All county-maintained roads, however, won’t
necessarily received full repaving — which means 2 to 3 inches of asphalt will
be replaced — but rather some will receive a chip seal, which is essentially
“waterproofing” the roads by adding a thin layer of asphalt and fine gravel.
Wilkens said that will extend the life of the roadway, but won’t add the
stability that repaving offers. About 25 percent of the roads in the
county’s control has less than 1,000 average daily traffic counts, and any
roadway under that threshold will receive a chip seal treatment. “We
would prefer to apply asphalt to every road,” Wilkens said. “However, due to
cost and budget, that’s not possible.” Currently the county engineer’s paving
budget is approximately $1.5 million. The city of Just more than $1 million of that funding
comes from state grant sources, including the Ohio Public Works Commission and
Community Development Block Grant funds. About $700,000 is budgeted in the
city’s infrastructure renewal fund — whose funds stem from customer utility
fees and taxes from special license plates and electric usage — $200,000 comes
from the stormwater fund, which is used solely to repair and replace curbs
associated with catch basins, and about $300,00 is assessed to the property
owner whose street is being repaired for sidewalk and curb replacement. Some of Hamilton’s street issues lie
underneath the surface, as the ground base on the east side is gravel while
west side streets lie on clay, and on the latter, a proper subgrade was not
originally made, which enables more water to seep through the pavement and
freeze, melt and expand, causing pot holes and other street deficiencies. “The thing that destroys pavement the
fastest is having water trapped between the pavement and the subgrade,” Engle
said. Between 2000 and 2008, the Department of
Public Works received less than $2 million annually to repave the roads. After
2008, more money was requested. About 50 percent of The city also follows a schedule to
determine which roads will be repaved each year, which is why some of Public Works also works closely with the
Utility Department when determining which roads to pave, and coordinates with
utility projects to keep from tearing streets up multiple times. That’s why “There is a utility project that needs to
be done before we do work on Jean
Bryant, 85, has lived on “All they do is patch them up,” she said,
adding that when the city built a bridge overpass over Two Mile Creek in 1998, “that was the worst
thing they could have done.” “This was supposed to be a neighborhood for
children, and it’s so dangerous,” she said. City
Manager Doug Adkins said there are several reasons that include a charter
amendment that removed the required allocation of income tax going directly to
capital improvements that was repealed in the 1980s; annexations through the
years have created more pavement to maintain; and many of the city’s roadway
systems were designed for higher traffic levels and a larger number of
residents. He said there were some past estimates projecting As a result of long national economic
expansion during the 1980s, inflation started to increase prompting the Federal
Reserve to raise interest rates from 1986 to 1989. However, the city’s infrastructure,
specifically the streets, was in fairly good shape back nearly 30 years ago. In order to avert projected budget deficits
for 1987 and 1988, the Middletown City Commission had two options: seek a 0.5
percent income tax hike and the charter change was needed to avert projected
budget deficits for 1987 and 1988. In The Journal reported there was no real
opposition when residents voted in May 1986 to repeal the income tax split
provision from the 1960s that required that one-half of the city income tax
receipts would cover capital improvements, such as street repairs, in exchange
for raising the city income tax rate from 1 percent to 1.5 percent. City commissioners at the time feared the
negative impact to development if they sought an income tax hike and had
intended the reallocation as a short-term fix as well as seeking an income tax
increase at a later date. At that time, commissioners said they intended to
keep street maintenance level at their current levels. The street program
slowed once the federal revenue sharing dried up. Voters later rejected tax levies of 0.25
percent in 1997 and in 2004 for street improvements. In 2006, voters also
rejected a proposed 0.75 percent increase where a portion of the revenues would
be used, but not required to be spent on streets and other infrastructure.
Council considered putting a streets levy on the ballot in 2008, but decided
against it opting later to have a 0.25 percent income tax increase for public
safety which voters later made it a permanent increase. The current income tax
rate is 1.75 percent. “One mil of city property tax goes for
capital improvements,” Adkins said. This equals about $620,000 for 2014. Most
of this is used towards road improvements. A small portion is used for traffic
signal system replacements, pavement striping, misc. building and park
repairs.” While
it varies from year to year, Adkins said the city also receives federal
Community Development Block Grant
through In 2014, the city received about $2.2
million in auto and gas tax funds are used street maintenance, which includes
labor, material, and equipment costs for the street maintenance crew, he said.
Add in the outside and grant funding that total grows to about $4.2 million for
road improvements in 2014. There is no reimbursement for maintaining
state routes through the city, but ODOT does provide funding for major
resurfacing projects on those routes through the Urban Paving Program, said
Scott Tadych, public works and utilities director. He said the state typically
pays about 80 percent of the asphalt costs. Other city departments such as water, sewer
and stormwater provide some additional funding when it’s appropriate to
replace/repair pavement associated with these types of infrastructure projects,
Adkins said. “The city would not ‘catch up’ with $2
million a year over 60 years,” Adkins said. “More funds per year over a shorter
timeframe would be needed.” About every two years, the city does a PCI
where each street is evaluated block by block. In 2013 PCI, the average score
of city streets was at 57 out of a possible score of 100. Of those streets, the
2013 PCI scored 35 percent of the streets in good condition, 18 percent were in
fair condition and 47 percent were in poor condition, Tadych said. According to the city’s PCI, the worst
streets, rated at failure, are portions of The city has 38 streets rated at 100
percent based on the 2013 PCI. Adkins told City Council during his job
interview last summer that the current system was not working and something had
to change. He said the $2 million budgeted for 2014 had no supporting reasoning
as it did not identify the number of lane miles, the cost per lane mile, which
lanes are to be paved and how did that meet city objectives. “The process of appropriating $2 million
for paving in 2014 is completely different process from developing an ongoing
sustainable paving program,” he wrote. “One is emptying bank accounts, the
other is building sustainable capacity.”
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acclaro
Prominent MUSA Citizen Joined: Jul 01 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1878 |
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Every time I read this, I get ill.
At one time, 50%....that's right....505 of tax revenues, went to roads. Today, its less than 2%, and only on heavily traveled roads. Mr. Adkins recognizes the fact it won't be sufficient for 2 Mm annually to repave roads over 60 years. But, he offers no solution, other than getting 66% of your neighbors to agree to fund your street and your expense. Middletown will never recover, economic development will always suffer. And, the undeniable reality 155 Mm went into school buildings in a poor school district, while people don't care to drive on pebbles. The mind, what a terrible thing to waste. |
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'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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VietVet
MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008 |
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From the Becker administration thru the Gilleland administration and now into the Adkins administration, none have found it a priority to repair the streets.
Bill Becker and the council in the 80's, found fit to ask the people for permission to move the street funds to another fund, but Becker nor any other city manager made it a priority to replace the street repair money. Why? Did you actually think we would forget? Why aren't the streets as important as the dam downtown/artzy area? The city clowns can always find money to waste on their precious downtown but they just can't seem to find a focus on any other part of town. They've got money laying around to loan their little downtown buddies to help their business. It's been this way for years with no one smart enough in the city building to recognize that there are needs throughout this community where this money should be channeled. Cutting safety services, watching the streets go to grass and the infrastructure crack before their eyes while the downtown, a losing venture, gets the revival treatment. YOUR city leaders are incredibly clueless. What is the matter with the people running this city? Reading this article, I noticed that the only solution mentioned was to raise the income tax (from 1% to 1.5 and now at 1.75%) or offer a street repair levy, both unacceptable since the city hasn't made a real effort to resupply all the businesses/jobs lost over the last four decades. That's where the real revenue money is........corporate and payroll taxes resulting from newly created business acquisitions and the employees that would follow. Not gonna get the revenue you need from oversaturated Section 8 HUD money, parking tickets, impound fees, ambulance runs, the existing feeble business taxes in town, your balloon or Mid-Fest kickback or any other existing source currently available. Where are the real revenue generating ideas from city hall? Here's an idea. How about charging a couple of bucks to use your bike path. That should get you an extra 50 bucks per week to build your revenue empire. Mercy. |
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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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Vivian Moon
MUSA Council Joined: May 16 2008 Location: Middletown, Ohi Status: Offline Points: 4187 |
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They have been kicking this same can down the road for 30 years.
Its time for them boys at City Hall to bite the bullet and put the money back into repairing our street. Mercy |
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acclaro
Prominent MUSA Citizen Joined: Jul 01 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1878 |
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This was a very interesting article.
Firstly, it reveals the easiest and most prudent decision was to re-engineer/ restructure the human capital resources to reflect the loss of revenue, which continued through the present. The situation never improved, and financially, actually worsened. So, mistake 1 was the city never made cuts to reflect the decreasing revenue, which they never did. Secondly, the former commissioners realized raising taxes from 1 % to 1.5% and higher, would negatively impact development, including job creation. Middletown and Hamilton WILL NEVER ATTRACT new business and new residents, when West Chester and so many areas, offer 0% tax. So there is mistake 2, not cutting resources to reflect revenue dollars declining, and then they raised taxes, which negatively impacted jobs and development, which commissioners knew would result 30 years ago. Now council wants a 2.25% increase? Insane people managing insanely. Why expect a different result. |
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'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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over the hill
MUSA Citizen Joined: Oct 19 2012 Location: middletown Status: Offline Points: 952 |
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I guess the eternal optimist just keeps hoping for a miracle or a messiah which ever comes first!
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TonyB
MUSA Citizen Joined: Jan 12 2011 Location: Middletown, OH Status: Offline Points: 631 |
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Isn't that how Middletown has always developed? Paul J. Sorg, George Verity. Came to town, opened businesses that thrived and provided the economic growth that built this city twice. Over the hill; that is exactly what this city needs; an entrepreneur who will come to town, build his business here and live here and give back to the community.
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acclaro
Prominent MUSA Citizen Joined: Jul 01 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1878 |
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TonyB, I am uncertain if you are serious, but the difference was the titans built their business and lived here, when there were limited roads and ease of commuting.
Today, you'd build in West Chester and live in Indian Hills. Not so 75 years ago. |
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'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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TonyB
MUSA Citizen Joined: Jan 12 2011 Location: Middletown, OH Status: Offline Points: 631 |
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I am serious in the sense that it's going to take something similar if Middletown is going to rebuild its job base. Someone willing to bring their business to the town and live there as well.
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acclaro
Prominent MUSA Citizen Joined: Jul 01 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1878 |
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TonyB, did you ever watch the movie called Waiting on Superman, about the complete failure of the national public education system?
Superman will appear in the school systems nationwide centuries before a benefactor you describe, makes another appearance in Middletown. Even those mini Superman characters and wealthy mini benefactors are departing the city, not coming in. http://youtu.be/SXjXKT98esw |
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'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.' - Winston Churchill
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VietVet
MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008 |
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TonyB, I'd like to make another suggestion. Perhaps a scenario that would be more doable nowadays might be to attract an already established business such as a P&G or some other company needing a centrally located logistics hub between two major Ohio cities and on a major north/south route such as I-75. If the city were to miraculously clean up it's act, and convince a major corporation to locate here, one who needs a location like Middletown provides, we may see the START that would trigger more growth that mattered. HOWEVER, with the current thinking, the current city condition, reputation, business unfriendly environment, crime, malaise and all the things we talk about on this forum transpiring, I don't see anything like that happening in the next several decades or, until a total purge of the current crop of leaders and their small minded thinking dies on the vine over time. THAT CHANGE, will require a major turnaround in the general attitude of the majority of this city to enact, through demands and voting purge, replacing current inept leadership with the correct people needed to lead us out of the pits. Need to throw the council out and replace them with competent people, who will then fire the city manager and demand that the new council start the purge of any and all management who supported him. That's a start. The MMF needs to be told not to involve themselves in city business as their agenda has done nothing to help Middletown prosper. Too many "my way or the highway" controlling egos in that organization to help this city. At this time, a "new day" is very unlikely to happen. Most people simply don't care enough about this city to force any changes at all. Too busy doing drugs, drinking beer, eating their dollar menu cheeseburgers, working their jobs, paying the bills, playing video games, charging up their credit cards and surviving until the next paycheck comes around......and city leadership is counting on it staying that way as they are comfortable with the apathy shown to date. As long as most don't care, they are safe from being challenged. Sad. |
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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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VietVet
MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008 |
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Sounds like required viewing for teachers, supers and school boards, although none will admit there is a problem. |
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I'm so proud of my hometown and what it has become. Recall 'em all. Let's start over.
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over the hill
MUSA Citizen Joined: Oct 19 2012 Location: middletown Status: Offline Points: 952 |
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I know for a fact there are talented business people in this town but because of current policies and current council members and inept "leaders" in place they are reluctant to come forward. Hopefully one day ,if they're still here, they may take a chance. They're right under councils' noses and they can't even recognize them. IMO
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TonyB
MUSA Citizen Joined: Jan 12 2011 Location: Middletown, OH Status: Offline Points: 631 |
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I wasn't saying that it would happen; just that it's about the only way Middletown would actually make some kind of comeback.
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