The City of Spokane has two more opportunities to learn about the streets funding proposal during a

community conversation this Thursday, June 26, at 6 p.m.

The City will host a simultaneous telephone town hall and traditional town hall discussion in the City Council Chambers in the lower level of City Hall, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. CityCable 5 also will cablecast the entire evening live, and citizens can follow along @SpokaneCity on Facebook and Twitter.  Thousands of City residents will be contacted and invited to participate by phone.  
The 20-year
proposal is designed to provide significant new street work for the same amount
of money citizens pay today for such repairs. It will:
·        
Focus on improving arterial streets, with the
goal of completing some repair or maintenance work on all 266 miles of
arterials during the 20 year life of the proposal.
·        
Allow the City to double the amount it spend on
residential street repair, by directing some dollars currently spent on
arterials to residential areas.
On the arterials, work will include both significant
repairs, including complete rehabilitation projects and maintenance, including
grind and overlay work.
The City will prioritize work based on factors that
include pavement condition, traffic volumes, economic development
opportunities, pedestrian and bike plan priorities, transit needs, and
safety/collision data.  The City’s update to the transportation and
utility chapter of the Comprehensive Plan, called Link Spokane, will finalize
the criteria to evaluate projects.
Attached is a list of proposed projects the City
anticipates during the first two years and maps showing project
locations.  Initially, some funding will be used to add components to
projects that are already planned.
“We want to distribute the projects geographically and
provide a mix of reconstruction and maintenance to bring up the quality of our
entire arterial system,” says Mayor David Condon.
Citizens currently pay 57 cents per $1,000 of assessed
property value, or $57 a year on a $100,000 home, for repayment of the 2004
Street Bond. Payments are currently scheduled to continue for another 16 years
without any additional street improvements.
With strategic refinancing, that same 57 cents per $1,000
of property value would provide an average of about $25 million annually for
street funding, including matching dollars from City utilities and state and
federal grants. The amounts grow over time.
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