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5.
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| TRANSPORTATION, WATER & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE |
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| Information |
| Referral History: |
On April 28, 2017, the Governor signed Senate Bill 1 (SB1), which is known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. SB1 invests more than $5 billion annually statewide to go directly for maintenance, repair, and safety improvements on state highways, local streets and roads, bridges, tunnels and overpasses. Locally, SB1 significantly increases the annual gas tax revenue the County will receive.
SB1 includes performance and reporting requirements in order to be eligible for the RMRA funds. The information and recommendations in this report, once approved by the TWIC and the Board of Supervisors, will fulfill these requirements.
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| Referral Update: |
California cities and counties are seeing a significant influx of new revenue to invest in the local street and road system from SB1.
SB1 increased several taxes and fees to raise over $5 billion annually in new transportation revenues. SB1 also includes inflationary adjustments in the revenue to local agencies so that the purchasing power of the funds does not decrease as it has in the past. SB1 prioritizes funding towards maintenance and rehabilitation and safety improvements on state highways, local streets and roads, and bridges and to improve the state’s trade corridors, transit, and active transportation facilities.
SB1 Funds were available to cities and counties starting in FY 2017/2018 and are comprised of two parts—an increase in the original gas tax revenue that local agencies have been receiving for years and Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) program funds. The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) has provided an estimate of the total revenues the County can expect from this transportation bill, including the total estimated revenue for RMRA program funds. CSAC estimates the County will receive about $39.3 million in total transportation funding in FY 2019/2020 from SB1, which is almost double what the County received just a few years ago. Approximately $14.2 million of that amount is from the RMRA program. This amount will continue to grow in future years with the built-in inflationary index.
SB1 emphasizes the importance of accountability and transparency in the delivery of California’s transportation programs. Therefore, in order to be eligible for RMRA funding, state statute requires cities and counties to provide basic RMRA project reporting to the California Transportation Commission (CTC).
Prior to receiving an apportionment of RMRA funds from the State Controller in a fiscal year, a city or county must submit to the CTC a list of projects proposed to be funded with these funds. All projects proposed to receive funding must be reviewed and approved by the applicable city council or county board of supervisors at a regular public meeting.
The list of projects must include a description and location of each proposed project, a proposed schedule for the project’s completion, and the estimated useful life of the improvement. (See Attachment A - a project list using the CTC recommended template) The project list does not limit the flexibility of an eligible city or county to fund projects in accordance with local needs and priorities so long as the projects are consistent with RMRA priorities as outlined in the applicable code sections. Some example projects and uses for RMRA funding include, but are not limited to the following:
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Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation
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Safety Projects
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Railroad Grade Separations
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Complete Streets Components (including active transportation purposes, pedestrian and bicycle safety projects, transit facilities, and drainage and stormwater capture projects in conjunction with any other allowable project)
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Traffic Control Devices
Streets and Highways Code Section 2030(b)(2) states that funds made available by the program may also be used to satisfy a match requirement in order to obtain state or federal funds for projects authorized by this subdivision.
The County currently uses the majority of the Gas Tax funds towards public roadway maintenance and repair for approximately 660 miles of the roadway network in the unincorporated areas of Contra Costa County to ensure a safe and convenient public travel in a variety of modes: driving, walking and bicycling. These funds are also used to improve traffic safety throughout the County by using it as the local match to leverage funds from state and federal grant programs.
In FY 2019/2020 it is proposed to designate the majority of the RMRA funds for maintenance activities. The range of proposed projects in future years is expected to broaden as the amount of RMRA funds increases. |
| Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s): |
| REVIEW the recommended list of Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA)(SB1) funded road projects, RECEIVE public comment and DIRECT staff to perform any changes or revisions to the recommended project list. RECOMMEND the Board of Supervisors approve project list, and direct staff to proceed with submitting the Fiscal Year 2019/2020 list of projects to the California Transportation Commission prior to the May 1, 2019 submittal deadline for approval. |
| Fiscal Impact (if any): |
| If a project list is not reviewed by the TWIC, forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for approval, and submitted to the CTC by the May 1, 2019 deadline, the County will not be eligible to receive its portion of RMRA funds and the projects listed above will not be constructed. |
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