Carson City advisory panel on roads begins journey

A panel of Carson City residents and representatives from local organizations started looking at the ongoing issue of city road conditions and maintenance at their first meeting Thursday.

Transportation Resource Advisory Forum For Carson City, or TRAFCC, was created to provide feedback to city staff on what the public at large sees as maintenance priorities.

“I’ve been concerned for years about the roads, not just in my area but all across the city. I was very glad to get selected,” Christine Brandon, a forum member and Ward 3 resident, said after the meeting.

Brandon, a geological engineer, said her main concerns were road conditions, safety and funding for the streets the city has or is in the process of taking over from the state.

The forum consists of 10 residents from all four wards who applied to be on the forum and 12 representatives from area entities who were asked to serve.

Those groups include the Carson City Chamber of Commerce, represented by Ronni Hannaman, executive director; Nevada Builders Alliance, represented by its CEO, Aaron West; and the Nevada Department of Transportation, represented by Bill Hoffman, deputy director.

Patrick Pittenger, Carson City transportation manager, provided the panel with an overview of the city street system, the funding sources for roads maintenance and how the money has been spent in the last 11 years, from 2005 to 2015.

“We want to share information with you and get your input,” said Pittenger. “There are options out there, which road should we fix, which one should be the priority, what’s the wisest thing to do with available funds.”

Carson City maintains 274 miles of streets. On a scale of 100, the conditions of the city’s roads average about a 63, said Pittenger.

The money for streets maintenance comes from two funds, the RTC and Street Maintenance funds, which in the coming fiscal year starting in July total approximately $8 million.

The RTC Fund is $3.7 million, with $1.45 million going to capital projects, $1.65 million to bond payments, $360,000 to services and supplies and $160,000 to salaries and benefits.

The revenue source is a 9 cent per gallon motor fuels tax.

The Streets Maintenance fund stands at $4.4 million with $2.03 million allocated for services and supplies, which includes equipment and vehicles; $300,000 to capital projects; and $2 million to salaries and benefits for 18 employees.

The revenue source is a 6.35 cent per gallon motor fuels tax and 1/4-cent citywide sales and use tax.

The amount of gas sold in the city, which affects collections on the fuels tax, has fluctuated in recent years, from a high of 40 million gallons in 2007 to about 35 million in 2015.

Other revenue comes from grants, primarily from the federal government, which can be used for sidewalk repairs and safety but not for pavement.

For fiscal year 2016, the Board of Supervisors moved $370,000 from the general fund for the purpose of streets projects addressing citizens complaints, said Pittenger.

From 2005-2015, $50.7 million was spent on street maintenance projects that included Fairview Drive widening, North Stewart Street extension, Roop Street and Curry Street projects, and sealing and repair throughout the city.

In 2016, the main projects are Airport Road, Appian Way and Goni Road/Convair Drive reconstructions, and citywide wide crack repairs and patching.

The ongoing downtown project to repave and narrow Carson Street and widen its sidewalks between William and 5th streets is paid for separately by the 1/8-cent sales tax.

TRAFCC’s next meeting is scheduled for July 28. The meetings held at the Fuji Park expo hall are open to the public, but are not subject to open meeting law.

Thursday’s meeting was recorded and will be available online at the city’s web site, carson.org.

Also online is TRAFCC materials, such as Pittenger’s presentation, which also included a history of the Carson City freeway project, at www.carson.org/government/departments-g-z/public-works/transportation-resource-advisory-forum-for-carson-city.