HomeMy WebLinkAbout1682Resolution No. 1682
["Beginning August 1, 2004"]
CON0=0171 Traffic Control
Passed-8/17/2004
Transportation Infrastructure -2005 State Legislative Action Needed
RESOLUTION NO. //:,J' :J_
A RESOLUTION of the City Council of the City
of Kent, Washington, urging 2005 State legislative action
to address funding for municipal transportation
infrastructure.
RECITALS
A. Kent and other Washington cities face the challenge of maintaining an
aging transportation infrastructure of roads, streets, alleys, and arterials and their
attendant bridges, culverts, sidewalks, storm drains, bike paths, street light and
signalization systems. These cities must operate and maintain this infrastructure while
attempting to address increasing and changing capacity and mobility needs for
residents, businesses, and the daily work force, and without harmmg-and often
enhancing-wetlands, stream systems, and the natural environment.
B. In Kent, this challenge is made more acute because Kent's Valley forms
a significant part of the second largest warehousmg distribution complex on the west
coast. The Kent Valley is the workplace for 60,000+ persons each day. It is
equidistant from the ports of Seattle and Tacoma and must deal with the daily pressure
of accommodating and allowing traffic to move through the City's network of local
streets and arterials for smooth and efficient access to major comdors such as State
Route 167 (Valley Freeway), State Route 181 (West Valley Highway), SR 99 (Pacific
Highway), and Interstate 5 through the City's network oflocal streets and arterials.
Trtlllsportation Infrastructure-2005
State Legislative Action Needed
C. Meeting local funding requirements has become more difficult given a
series of revenue setbacks, including:
1. Repeal of the $15 motor vehicle fee due to Initiative 776, which
costs Kent $800,000 per year in street overlay funds and matching grant funding
sources.
2. Flat or declining gas tax receipts, because the legislature has not
authorized any new gas tax distributions for cities since 1990. Additionally, the buying
power of the existing gas tax has dechned nearly forty (40) percent over the past
decade.
3. The State Transportation Improvement Board (TIB), a major
funding partner for local corridor capacity and mobility projects in Kent, also has not
received any new infusion of gas tax dollars since 1990.
4. The City's general fund revenue base is insufficient to support
street overlay and maintenance programs, due to a sagging economy and declining
local revenues.
5. The State Supreme Court has invalidated local transportation
funding options used by some cities. This includes the street utility fee that Kent and
more than a dozen other cities implemented, but which was invalidated m 1995.
D. The cities' options to obtain transportation revenues are limited at this
time, but the demand for transportation infrastructure operation, maintenance, and
improvement continues to grow.
E. The last comprehensive action by the legislature to provide direct local
funding and local options for transportation funding came in 1990.
F. In 1990, along with new direct funding, the legislature, recognizing the
need for local transportation funding, authorized four mechanisms: (1) local option fuel
tax, (2) commercial parking tax, (3) street utility fee, and ( 4) vehicle license fee.
2 Transportation Infrastructure-2005
State Legisltztive Action Needed
G. Fourteen (14) years later, these sources either lack viability or have
been invalidated through court decisions or initiatives or both.
H. As the condition of the transportation infrastructure deteriorates, repair
and replacement costs become significantly more expensive, effectively doubling
every 10 to 15 years.
I. For example, in Kent, it costs about $1.4 million to overlay 2 million
square feet of streets annually and maintain a road condition of 84.9 (out of 100 -
considered very good)-but it would cost $17 million in 2013 to achieve that same
84.9 rating if no new funding becomes available.
J. Absent funding for critical maintenance and overlay work, the condition
of Kent's streets would decline from an 84.9 rating to a 42.95 rating, which is
considered poor.
K. The cost to the public extends beyond these direct costs in the form of
impacts on the quality of life, on the quality of the environment, on the business
investment climate, and on the ability of our citizens to travel without facing delays,
detours, and congestion.
L. Besides lacking the resources to maintain the existing transportation
network, Kent is even more hard-pressed to make capital improvements in its
transportation infrastructure, as evidenced by the fact that more than $1 00 million of
the $178.27 million 6-Year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) does not have any
funding in place, nor is there any source for those funds predicted to become available.
3 Transportlltion Infrastructure-2005
Stllte Legislative Action Needed
M. Kent projects that existing capital funding for transportation will
disappear entirely in 2006 unless it obtains additional funding sources. Moreover,
nearly all other Washington cities face similar problems.
NOW THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF KENT,
WASHINGTON, DOES HEREBY RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
RESOLUTION
SECTION I. -Direct Funding. The City ofKent calls upon the Governor and
the legislature to provide new direct funding to pay for transportation infrastructure
needs.
SECTION 2. -New Funding Options. The City of Kent also calls on the
Governor and legislature to provide new funding options and tools that may be enacted
at the local level.
SECTION 3. -Request Other Cities Join. The City of Kent encourages other
Washington municipalities to join in this call by passing similar resolutions as a means
of conveying the severity and urgency of the situation.
SECTION 4. -Severability. If any section, subsection, paragraph, sentence,
clause or phrase of this resolution is declared unconstitutional or invalid for any
reason, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this
resolution.
SECTION 5. -Ratification. Any act consistent with the authority and prior to
the effective date of this resolution is hereby ratified and affirmed.
4 Transportation Infrastructure-2005
State Legislative Action Needed
SECTION 6. -Effective Date. This resolution shall take effect and be in force
immediately upon its passage.
PASSED at a regular open public meetmg by the City Council of the City of
Kent, Washington, this /7 day of August, 2004.
CONCURRED in by the Mayor of the City of Kent this 17 day of August,
2004.
ATTEST:
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BRENDA JACOBER, CLERK
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APPROVED AS TO FORM:
TOM BRUBAKER, CITY ATTORNEY
I hereby ce~t this is a true and correct copy of Resolution No.
//:,(J... passed by th9C~.QW.Cil~ofthe City of Kent, Washington, the 17 ·day of
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August, 2004. ~ ,/ ;:: _ -__ -._ ---~
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5 Transportation Infrastructure -2005
State Legislative Acdon Needed