1 Mary Gourley
From: Kate Haug < >
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2022 9:44 AM
To: Mary Gourley
Subject: Fund the Pavement Reserve Fund and Water Infrastructure - Public Comment - Budget 7/5/22 Meeting - Item 6
Dear Council Members,
As Sebastopol's roads are some of the poorest in Sonoma County, please uphold your fiduciary duties to fund our infrastructure with our tax dollars. People pay property tax with the assumption that our property taxes are going toward community infrastructure.
On page 6 of the CIP report (Item #6), there is a note which reads:
"Note: The source of funding is the Pavement Reserve Fund and Council’s goal was to set aside $150,000 per year for pavement resurfacing work. However, this fund has not been funded since XXXX and is currently at a zero balance.
Therefore, any resurfacing projects from this fund would be from the General Fund." Council, please make it a priority to set aside $150,000 per year for our roads. We need to repair and maintain our roads and will not be able to do so without proper funding.
On page 2 of the document, there is a comment regarding the aging water system. The question and reply follows:
"Comment: Why no new water or sewer replacement projects? The City’s infrastructure is really old." "Response: The City’s water and sewer master plans were last updated in 2005 so there aren’t any long range projects due to the master plans being very outdated. Master plan updates cost about $100k for each utility and due to budget constraints, staff did not request these updates due to other priorities. Projects are added when, from a maintenance and operations standpoint, pipeline replacements are in imminent need of repair. Staff will request master plan updates in the future so that a long range plan for pipe replacements can be included in the CIP and rates can be updated to reflect the capital needs."
Our master plan is over 17 years old. It is clear that getting the proper analysis so that we have a firm grip on critical water and sewer needs will require substantial funding in the next few years. I ask that Council begin setting aside funds so that the proper analysis and repair work can be accomplished in a timely manner.
Please focus your budget priorities on vital infrastructure projects which sustain our community and benefit all residents and business owners.
Thank you,
Kate Haug