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KITTITAS COUNTY <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMNUSSIONERS <br />STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />STUDY SESSION DATE. June 28, 2024 <br />TOPIC: Road Fund Levy Update <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Direct Staff <br />LEAD STAFF: <br />Joshua Fredrickson <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Direct staff regarding continued road fund levy lift efforts <br />BRIEFING SUMMARY: <br />• Levy rate impacts from three years of inflation have been evaluated. <br />• County consultant, Consor has conducted two in -person focus group meetings and <br />telephone survey <br />• Results of outreach efforts will be presented <br />• Three levy rate scenarios have been developed <br />BACKGROUND: <br />Consor, PW outreach consultant, has been working to implement the 2024 work program. <br />Recent efforts included two in -person focus group meetings on April 13, 2024. Focus <br />groups included 10-12 individuals in each group, with one meeting held in upper county <br />and the second in lower county. Consor also conducted a telephone/hybrid survey of 300 <br />registered voters in Kittitas County. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />The Ten -Year Transportation Plan (TAMP) utilized an annual inflation rate of two (2) <br />percent. Inflationary impacts from 2021-2023 accumulated to 16.8 percent per the <br />Western States Consumer Price Index (CPI). This has affected the ability to keep up with <br />the anticipated road needs in the TAMP. From 2015-2019 levy shifts also impacted the <br />road fund. While this allowed for the creation of the County's water bank system, which <br />has benefited the county and residents, it came at an expense to public works <br />infrastructure maintenance. <br />To identify potential voter sentiment for a road levy lift, PW contracted with Consor to <br />conduct public outreach. This included in -person focus group meetings and telephone <br />survey of registered voters. Consor has performed work and developed the Kittitas <br />