County Roads and Highways in Physical and Financial Trouble
By Bruce McPherson, County Supervisor 5th District
As evidenced by the many calls I get regarding potholes, we are not able to adequately maintain our roads. This is true for both our county roads and the State highway system, and the situation is only getting worse.
A 2014 statewide assessment report found that nearly $8 billion in additional revenues annually are needed to rebuild and maintain county roads and city streets in California. The state highway system needs another $6 billion each year.
The perfect storm of factors and circumstances has elevated the need for more transportation funding. These factors include:
The state gasoline tax has not been increased since 1994. Since that time, the purchasing power of transportation dollars has decreased significantly. When adjusted for inflation and gains in vehicle fuel efficiency, the base 18-cent gas tax is only worth 6.8 cents today.- Hybrid, alternative fuel, and electric vehicles – while wonderful for the environment – do not “pay to play” with the traditional pump taxation method.
- Vehicle miles traveled in the state continue to grow.
- The precipitous drop in gasoline prices will result in a decrease in gas tax revenue. This means about $770 million statewide beginning in July 2015 and about $182 million fewer dollars for county roads alone statewide.
- A study is underway by the California Transportation Commission on alternatives to the gas tax. Under the best scenario/timeframe, a more sustainable funding source is years away, leaving us facing a short-term funding problem.
At this time, Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins, Assembly Member Jim Frazier, Senator Jim Beall, and others are sponsoring funding bills that will be negotiated in the Legislature and will need bi-partisan support.
The short-term solutions proposed include:
Increasing the gas tax. To generate $3 billion – $5 billion from the gas tax, the State would need to increase the gas tax by 20 to 35 cents.- Increasing the vehicle registration fee to $100, which will generate about $3 billion annually.
- Reducing the voter threshold for local sales tax measures for transportation. This is especially important in Santa Cruz County if we hope to generate new funds locally. The current requirement for two-thirds voter approval is a deterrent. We would hope to lower the threshold to a majority, or 55 percent, voter approval.
I don’t need to tell you condition of our 600 miles of Santa Cruz County roads. Based on a “pavement condition index,” Santa Cruz County’s roads are considered to be in poor condition.
In 1999, Santa Cruz County identified about $27 million in deferred maintenance for its road system. Today, that deferred maintenance is estimated to be $80 million, and growing.
Given the daunting task of catching up, our Public Works Department believes consideration should be given to Santa Cruz County becoming a “self help county” through a new funding source generated within the county. This could be done through a countywide sales tax, a special tax or other funding source. Also, improvements to our METRO bus system and the possibility of a rail passenger line would require additional funding.
I don’t know what — or if — the State will present in terms of a transportation-related ballot measure in 2016, but I do know if we don’t designate more funding to upgrade our transportation network – locally and statewide – the uphill climb to improve that system will only get steeper.