[Durham INC] Durham City Manager Guest Column in Today's Herald-Sun: Street Repaving on November Ballot

[Blalock, Amy]

Street Repaving on November Ballot

By Durham City Manager Thomas J. Bonfield

It could cost you a cup of coffee.  That cup of coffee that just spilled
in your lap as you drove over that gulley, euphemistically known as a
pothole, for the umpteenth time. 

 On November 2, voters will be asked to decide if the City can borrow
$20 million to finish smoothing out about 158 miles of streets that make
driving feel like you're on a roller coaster ride.  It's an important
decision, no doubt, but it is also a decision that will have a long-term
impact on street maintenance in Durham for years to come.

Currently, Durham maintains about 680 miles of streets, of which about
27 percent are in poor or very poor condition, as determined by a
pavement condition survey done about three years ago.  Funds from the
2005 and 2007 bond referenda, approximately $39 million in total,
allowed Durham to resurface about half of the backlog that resulted from
years of inadequate spending on street maintenance.  By the end of this
year, all of the bond funds will have been used to resurface more than
112 miles of streets in all parts of Durham, from sections of Barbee
Road to the south to Ridge Road in the western part of Durham, and many
points in between.

So why now?  We hear taxpayers when they say the economy is still
suffering and waiting would be better.  We also hear taxpayers when they
say that fixing city streets is a top priority.  While we all feel the
effects of the economic slowdown, it also makes now an ideal time to
invest in our streets:  Oil prices are 30 percent lower than they were
three years ago, making asphalt prices lower as well; Bid prices from
contractors to perform such work have dropped significantly because
fewer jobs are available; and, our streets will continue to deteriorate,
costing taxpayers more in the long run, if we do not improve our streets
over the coming year.  This bond referendum would enable the City to
catch up on repairs to our worst streets over the next two paving
seasons, ending in 2012.

Why issue bonds?  Issuing general obligation bonds is the most
cost-effective way to pay for large-scale capital projects such as
street repaving.  And, because Durham maintains a AAA bond rating from
all three major ratings agencies, the City can borrow at the lowest
interest rates for major infrastructure projects.  In fact, municipal
borrowing is experiencing the lowest rates seen in the last 20 years.
Starting next year, plans are to build ongoing street repaving funds,
about $5 million a year, into the budget.  However, catching up on our
worst streets now is a top priority for Durham.  

Thanks to voter approval of previous bond referenda, the City is nearing
the point to keep future repaving on a regular schedule.  It's important
to you, as a taxpayer.  It's important for Durham's economy, for
visitors, and the workforce.  And, economic conditions make it a good
time to finish the job on which we've already made significant inroads.

The cost?  For the owner of a $150,000 home, about $11.40 a year. ..
less than a cup of coffee a month.   Whatever your decision,  learn as
much as you can about progress on street repaving in Durham by going to
the City's website, www.durhamnc.gov, and clicking on the "Pavenator" or
the Operation Greenlight icon.  You can also see streets that would be
included on the 2010 Bond Referendum repaving plan.   Remember to vote
on November 2.

This guest column appeared in today's Herald-Sun Newspaper.  To view the
column online, please visit
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/9002064/article-Bonds-will-pay-
for-necessary-street-repaving?instance=hs_guest_columnists. 

-------------- next part --------------
HTML attachment scrubbed and removed