Utility tax also fixes sidewalks; expires at the end of this year unless voters renew
By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
It's election season again, as most folks can tell by the campaign signs lining the streets of West Plains cities.
While many have already heard about the big national and state races, there are also two local measures that Cheney residents will vote on Aug. 7. Both are taxes that fund local services; the first a residential street and sidewalk tax renewal, first approved in 1998, and the second a renewal of the three-year levy for Emergency Medical Services.
This week we will cover the street tax. Watch the pages of the Free Press over the next few weeks for details on the EMS levy as well as on the four men vying to represent the West Plains and portions of the city of Spokane as the new state representative for District 6 Position 2.
The Residential Street and Sidewalk Program (RSSP) began in Cheney in 1999. Voters were promised nearly 20 miles of repaired residential streets in exchange for a 14-year, 4 percent tax on their utility bills. Of the 964 residents who voted on the measure in September 1998, 502 voted yes, approving the tax by a 52 percent majority.
Since then, the city has collected $4.6 million in taxes and repaired more than 18 miles of streets and six miles of sidewalks in Cheney. The tax expires at the end of 2012, and the City Council voted this spring to put a renewal on the August ballot.
The proposed continuation of the tax would remain at the 4 percent rate, taxing electric and natural gas utilities from 2013-2026. City officials have not laid out which streets would be repaired over the entire period, but a recently enacted transportation improvement plan for 2013-2018 lists 5.42 miles of residential street preservation.
Portions of the following streets were slated to receive improvements under the plan by 2016: Lincoln, West Third, Moyer, L, K, West Sixth, Second, Calispell, North Eighth, Bethany and North Fifth streets, Cherry Tree and Plum Tree courts, Golden Hills and Al Ogdon Drive.
The following streets were repaired in the first years of the program and would be addressed again after 2016: Holladay Drive, Walker Drive, Scenic Heights, Eplin Street, Pine Street, Chestnut Street, a portion of West Third Street, A and B streets, Huron Street, Highland Street and Skyview Place.
After 2018, updated street ratings would determine which streets would be repaired when.
The concept behind the tax is to keep streets from deteriorating to the point where they need to be replaced—the saying goes that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A typical street lasts about 15-20 years before needing repair, but several factors can shrink or expand that timeframe.
“We're not dealing with any failed streets now, but the streets that we did in 1999 are now 14 years old,” Public Works director Todd Ableman said.
The city spent $256 per linear foot on fully reconstructing a portion of North Eighth Street last year. An average street repair under the RSSP, which includes grinding and resurfacing the street with new asphalt, was about $50 per linear foot.
Ableman noted that the city conducts a full survey of its streets once every four or five years, analyzing cracks, rutting, surface wear and subsoil material. A new survey would be done within a year, he said. With each updated survey city officials get a better idea of each street's condition, any trends in deterioration and can schedule repairs based on that data.
The city also used the tax revenue as a match to receive around $880,000 in federal grants to repair water mains under streets that were reconstructed. Ableman said the city would continue this effort if the tax continued.
If voters approve the tax Aug. 7, collection of the 4 percent utility tax will continue uninterrupted in 2013. If it fails, Ableman said the city would not be able to afford to maintain the city's streets with current general fund revenues.
Based on 2012 numbers, the average electricity bill—about $61—would be taxed $2.46 each month, while the average natural gas bill—about $52—would be taxed $2.10 per month.
Ballots will be mailed to Spokane County residents late next week and are due by mail or drop box Tuesday, Aug. 7.
For more information on the Residential Street and Sidewalk Program, contact the Cheney Public Works Department at 498-9293.
Becky Thomas can be reached at becky@cheneyfreepress.com.
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