4.7. SR 03-07-2016
Request for Action
To Item Number
Mayor and City Council 4.7
Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by
ConsentMarch 7, 2016Justin Femrite, P.E., City Engineer
Item Description Reviewed by
Resolution Supporting Dedicated State Funding for Cal Portner, City Administrator
City Streets
Reviewed by
Action Requested
Approve, by motion, a resolution supporting an omnibus transportation funding bill that provides
additional dedicated state funding for city streets, including funding that can be used for non-municipal
state aid city street maintenance, construction, and reconstruction.
Background/Discussion
The League of Minnesota Cities is working with the State of Minnesota Legislature toward passage of an
omnibus transportation funding bill as detailed above.
They are requesting member cities to support the effort. The attached resolution, if passed, will be
submitted to our legislators showing Elk River’s support of this initiative.
Financial Impact
N/A
Attachments
Resolution
Resolution 16-___
A Resolution of the City of Elk River Supporting Dedicated State Funding for
City Streets
WHEREAS,
Minnesota contains over 141,000 miles of roadway, and over 19,000 miles – or
13 percent – are owned and maintained by Minnesota’s 856 cities; and
WHEREAS,
over 80 percent of municipal streets are ineligible for dedicated Highway
User Tax Distribution Fund dollars; and
WHEREAS,
the more than 700 Minnesota cities with populations below 5,000 are
ineligible for dedicated Highway User Tax Distribution Fund dollars; and
WHEREAS,
city streets are a separate but integral piece of the network of roads
supporting movement of people and goods; and
WHEREAS,
existing funding mechanisms, such as Municipal State Aid (MSA), property
taxes, and special assessments have limited applications, leaving cities under-equipped to
address growing needs; and
WHEREAS,
city cost participation in state and county highway projects diverts resources
from city-owned streets; and
WHEREAS,
maintenance costs increase as road systems age, and no city – large or small –
is spending enough on roadway capital improvements to maintain a 50-year lifecycle; and
WHEREAS,
for every one dollar spent on maintenance, a road authority – and therefore
taxpayers – save seven dollars in repairs; and
WHEREAS,
cities need greater resources, including an additional dedicated state funding
source for transportation, and flexible policies in order to meet growing demands for street
improvements and maintenance.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
by the Elk River City Council that the City
of Elk River supports an omnibus transportation funding bill that provides additional
dedicated state funding for city streets including funding that can be used for non-MSA city
street maintenance, construction and reconstruction.
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Passed and adopted this 7 day of March, 2016.
John J. Dietz, Mayor
ATTEST:
Tina Allard, City Clerk