2022-02-28-minutes-public-works-study-session

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CHAPTER ONE: PURPOSE The Department of Public Works (PW) created the department's first Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) in 2018. Previous "long-range" transportation plans did not contemplate the necessity to financially plan for long term management of transportation assets. The 2018 plan was adopted by the Board of County Commissioners with Resolution 2018-165. The 2018 document provides a financial plan for project implementation that was produced by evaluating all current transportation funding mechanisms in state law against a list of necessary twenty-year transportation improvement projects. The adopted plan advances five goals for implementation and puts in place project review criteria that the department utilizes annually when producing the annual and six-year construction programs. The plan can be found on our website at: https://www co.kittitas wa us/uploads/documents/public-works/consti-uction/2020-20-Year Transportation-Plan.pdf. A funding shortfall of approximately $100,000,000 dictates significant community investment over the twenty-year planning period. At the heart of plan funding is an anticipated Road Fund levy tax rate increase of approximately 85 percent from 2018 levels. The 2018 TAMP does not provide alternatives to rate payers, other than the financial plan addressing the list of network deficiencies contained in the twenty-year project listing. PW is updating the 2018 planning effort and reducing the study period from twenty years to ten years. This focused effort allows for greater accuracy in predictive analysis and offers a more paced approach to financing asset management. A copy of the 2018 TAMP financial plan appears as APPENDIX 1 to this plan. CHAPTER TWO: OBJECTIVES The Department of Public Works is providing the Board of County Commissioners and Kittitas County Road Fund rate payers a frank discussion about the current state of Public Works' infrastructure. The recent (ongoing) global pandemic has strained financial resources for many public works organizations. Unemployment, the rising cost of living in Kittitas County and rapid urbanization of rural Kittitas County is stressing the Department's ability to adequately maintain transportation assets at the current level of funding. While the Department has been successful securing supplemental finances allowing significant bridge replacements the past several years, that history is unlikely to continue much further into the future. The Department desires meeting critical asset management essentials while minimally raising the Road Levy tax. This 10 -year TAMP provides the rationale for supporting PRESERVATION efforts and the reality of moving to REHABILITATION/REPLACEMENT of critical transportation infrastructure. Maintaining income sources at current levels will likely necessitate a reduction of overall assets in Public Works inventory. Said another way, it will become necessary to close roads and bridges as labor and material costs escalate in the absence of additional tax revenue. Finding the balance that rate payers are willing to pay against ease of traversing the County, will require definition in relatively short order as the amount of deferred maintenance on County roads and bridges is beginning to impact PW cash reserves. The time is approaching for difficult community decisions regarding the operation of the County's transportation system. Kittitas County Department of Public Works 2022-2032 Transportation Asset Management Plan Janaury 2022: Page 4