Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 23, 2024
AG ENDA REPORT
RECOMMENDATION
S
taff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Adopting A List Of Projects To Be Implemented With Road Maintenance And Rehabilitation Account Funds In Fiscal Year 2024-25 And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) requires jurisdictions to annually submit documentation that California Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) funds are adopted for eligible local streets and roads purposes. The CTC also requires agencies to submit a list of proposed RMRA-funded projects with each project’s title, description, location, estimated schedule, and estimated useful life during each fiscal year (FY).
A
pproval of this resolution would adopt a FY 2024-25 project list, including the information to meet the CTC’s requirements, for the City of Oakland (City). The proposed use of RMRA funds is for local street maintenance fulfilled through service requests, consistent with the City’s Paving Plan and Capital Improvement Program (CIP), citywide lighting operations, and high priority traffic calming improvements.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
On April 28, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 1, the RMRA, into law to address significant multi-modal transportation funding shortfalls statewide and preserve basic road maintenance, rehabilitation, and critical safety needs on state highways and local streets. SB 1 increased per gallon fuel excise taxes, diesel fuel sales taxes, vehicle registration fees, and regularly adjusts these tax increases based on inflation. The RMRA distributes funds to eligible cities and counties for basic road maintenance, rehabilitation, and critical safety projects on the local streets and roads system.
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Megan Wier
City Administrator Acting Director,
Oakland Department
of Transportation
SUBJECT: Fiscal Year 2024-25 Road Maintenance
and Rehabilitation Account Annual
Project
DATE: March 15, 2024
City Administrator Approval Date:
Jestin Johnson (Apr 11, 2024 19:10 PDT)
Apr 11, 2024
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: 2024-25 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Annual Project List Date: May 8, 2024 Page 2
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 23, 2024
Thi
s is the eighth year in which the City is receiving SB 1 RMRA funding. SB 1 requires cities and counties to annually submit documentation to show that RMRA funds were specifically expended for eligible local streets and roads purposes, and also requires the submission of a list of projects proposed to be funded with RMRA in the upcoming fiscal year. For the previous seven years, the City has successfully received approval from the CTC for the City’s annually adopted RMRA project lists (Resolution Nos. 89764 C.M.S., 89215 C.M.S., 88684 C.M.S., 88122 C.M.S., 87651 C.M.S., 87159 C.M.S., and 86917 C.M.S.).
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
Under CTC’s requirements, RMRA funds shall be prioritized for expenditure on basic road maintenance and rehabilitation projects and on critical safety projects. Consistent with the City’s approach in previous years, the primary proposed use of RMRA funds in FY 2024-25 is for citywide street maintenance activities, while also providing matching funds for street lighting and signals operations and high priority traffic calming improvements (see proposed project list in Table 1).
B
y maintaining state of repair of City streets and sidewalks, supporting essential operations of City lighting and traffic control devices, and implementing quick-build traffic safety projects, the proposed project list will help advance the following Citywide priorities: holistic community safety and vibrant, sustainable infrastructure.
T
able 1: Proposed Project List; RMRA FY 2024-25
Name Brief Description Location Estimated
Useful Life
Estimated Project
Schedule
Local Street
Maintenance
Operations of City
streets and sidewalks
maintenance,
including potholing,
patching,
concrete repair, etc.
Citywide based on
cyclical
maintenance
program and
service requests
Minimum: 1 year
Maximum: 5 years
Start: July 2024
End: June 2025
(new listing)
Lighting/
Electrical
Operations
Operations of street
lighting and traffic
control devices within
City right of way
Citywide 1 year Start: July 2024
End: June 2025
(new listing)
High Priority
Traffic Calming
Preliminary
engineering and
construction for quick-
build, high-priority
traffic safety projects
Improvements
identified Citywide.
For detailed project
location and schedule
info, please visit:
https://www.oaklandc
a.gov/projects/traffic-
safety-800k-
allocation-oakdot-
prioritization-and-
process
Minimum: 1 year
Maximum: 10 years
FY 2021-2025
(re-listed)
For detailed project
location and schedule
info, please visit:
https://www.oaklandc
a.gov/projects/traffic-
safety-800k-
allocation-oakdot-
prioritization-and-
process
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: 2024-25 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Annual Project List Date: May 8, 2024 Page 3
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 23, 2024
R
MRA funding also supports salaries of essential staff positions in the City’s in-house maintenance teams. A breakdown of the staff positions funded by RMRA is included in Table 2 below:
T
able 2 Proposed Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Staff Funded by RMRA FY 2024-25 Job Title Number of FTE
Administrative Analyst II 1.0
Collections Officer 0.5
Construction Inspector (Field) 1.0
Engineer, Transportation Supervising 1.0
Heavy Equipment Operator 1.7
Human Resource Analyst 0.3
Public Works Maintenance Worker 4.1
Public Works Operations Manager 0.6
Public Works Supervisor I 2.4
Public Works Supervisor II 1.8
Street Construction & Maintenance Planner or Carpenter 1.0 Street Maintenance Leader 2.6
Traffic Painter 0.8
Traffic Sign Maker 0.8
Total 19.6
S
taff use RMRA funding to complete priority service requests. These requests are submitted by members of the public via OAK311—which receives requests by phone, e-mail, website submission and a free SeeClickFix-powered mobile app for Apple and Android devices. By responding to these priority service requests, the City fulfills shorter-term maintenance needs (such as pothole repair). This work is complementary to the goals stated in the 2022 5-Year Paving Plan, which prioritizes streets for repaving using citywide data such as priority neighborhoods, street condition and traffic safety.
Until the annual project list is adopted, the City is unable to receive RMRA disbursements from the State Controller’s Office for FY 2024-25. In FY 2024-25, City disbursements are estimated to total $11,085,176 based on State of California Department of Finance revenue projections as of January 2024.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
Pe
r CEQA Guidelines Sections 15301 – 15332, road maintenance activities such as pothole and concrete repair are categorically exempt under CEQA as a Class I: Existing Facilities exemption.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption of this project list will enable the City to collect an estimated $11,085,176 in RMRA funding in FY 2024-25. The proposed projects in Table 1 will be funded in-part or solely with FY Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: 2024-25 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Annual Project List Date: May 8, 2024 Page 4
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 23, 2024
2024-25 RMRA revenues that shall be allocated in Fund (2232); Organization (TBD); Project (TBD).
There is no local match required for this funding source. Without RMRA funding, maintaining local streets, operating lighting and traffic control devices, and preserving filled, critical positions would require the City to use other fund sources such as Measure BB Transportation Sales Tax.
Using RMRA funds to augment existing funds extends the City’s ability to finance needed maintenance and operations. Implementation of these projects will have a net positive fiscal impact on the City by funding infrastructure rehabilitation and reducing future maintenance backlog.
In addition, approval of this resolution will authorize the City Administrator to periodically transfer funds between Oakland Department of Transportation and Oakland Public Works to efficiently work together to fulfill service requests. This added efficiency is important to completing maintenance activities in a timely manner, as fulfilling service requests often requires the transfer of RMRA funds between departments to collaboratively complete the work.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The Oakland Department of Transportation maintains a list of prioritized street maintenance needs and collects community requests through OAK311 to ensure that RMRA funding is spent on the highest priority projects. Maintenance and rehabilitation of local streets is a recurring community priority that has been raised by residents throughout the community engagement processes for the FY 2019-21, FY 2021-23, and FY 2023-25 CIPs. The Oakland Department of Transportation has received more than 70 community requests for street maintenance and rehabilitation projects through the CIP public project intake process. These CIP requests complement the OAK311 service requests that the Oakland Department of Transportation receives from community members regarding potholes and local street deterioration; RMRA funding supports the fulfillment of such maintenance requests.
COORDINATION
This report and legislation have been reviewed by the Office of the City Attorney and the Budget Bureau.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: RMRA funds are dedicated to improving local streets and roads, benefitting travel between home, work, and other destinations. Completing local street maintenance reduces the backlog of maintenance needs, and thereby reduces future maintenance costs. Additionally, maintaining street lighting supports commercial areas and improves perceptions of personal safety.
Environmental: RMRA funds benefit all transportation modes, including more sustainable active transportation modes, by improving road surfaces for bicyclists, transit riders, and auto drivers, as well as improving sidewalks for pedestrians. By providing safer and more comfortable routes for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit access, RMRA funds will support active transportation modes, which are more energy-efficient and emit less greenhouse gas Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: 2024-25 Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Annual Project List Date: May 8, 2024 Page 5
Public Works & Transportation Committee
April 23, 2024
emissions than driving single occupancy vehicles.
Race & Equity: RMRA funds are distributed throughout the city and benefit all Oaklanders. At the same time, both the 5-Year Paving Plan and CIP implementation prioritize locations based on equity indices such as the Geographic Equity Toolbox priority neighborhoods and high-injury network data. Maintaining fair infrastructure conditions is an essential service, particularly in high priority equity communities that are disproportionately impacted by poor pavement condition, deteriorating or non-existent sidewalks and curb ramps, and higher rates of traffic violence.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Adopting A List Of Projects To Be Implemented With Road Maintenance And Rehabilitation Account Funds In Fiscal Year 2024-25 And Adopting Appropriate California Environmental Quality Act Findings.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Craig Raphael, Funding Program Manager, at 510-238-7229 or [email protected].
Respectfully s ubmitted,
MEGAN WIER
Acting Director, Department of Transportation
R
eviewed by:
Jamie Parks, Assistant Director
C
raig Raphael, Funding Program Manager
P
repared by:
Yvonne Chan, Acting Transportation Planner III
Capital Finance
Oakland Department of Transportation
Jamie Parks for