5 - Proposed Year 2005-2010 Transportation Improvement Program (CIP) - Part I
C I T Y O F B O U L D E R
TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY BOARD
AGENDA ITEM
MEETING DATE: April 12, 2004
AGENDA TITLE:
Staff briefing and TAB input on the proposed Year 2005-2010
Transportation Capital Improvement Program (CIP) – Part I
PRESENTER/S:
Tracy Winfree, Director of Public Works for Transportation
Michael J. Gardner Sweeney, Transportation Planning & Operations Coordinator
Melody Agruso, Senior Financial Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The City goes through an annual budget process creating a six-year planning budget, this
year for the time period of 2005 through 2010. Within this process funds are
appropriated for the first year, 2005. The Transportation Advisory Board (TAB) role in
this process is defined within the provision of the creation ordinance for the board; . . . to
A
review all city transportation environmental assessments and capital improvements. It is
@
within this context that the board is asked to hold a public hearing and provide a
recommendation on the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) to Planning Board and the
City Council. This agenda item is intended to initiate this process by providing:
Background information;
A tentative schedule; and,
Key issues for this year.
Fiscal Impacts:
Fiscal impact to be determined through the budget development
process.
Other Impacts:
NA
Board feedback:
Staff is asking that TAB review the background information and
provide feedback to staff on how we can best support board discussions and
deliberations.
Public feedback:
As noted in the provided schedule, Board input is scheduled for this
meeting and the May 10, 2004 meeting. A formal public hearing and recommendation is
scheduled for June 14, 2004.
AGENDA ITEM #____V____PAGE__- 1 -__
Staff Recommendation:
NA
Analysis:
The budget is the means by which the city both manages its assets, and implements the
policies chosen by its citizens, through their elected representatives, the City Council.
The transportation budget is formulated within the policy context of the Transportation
Master Plan.
Transportation finance for the city is provided through two sources, the Transportation
Fund and the Transportation Excise Tax Fund. Revenue sources for the Transportation
Fund include the 0.006 local sales tax dedicated for transportation purposes,
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) federal funds, Highway Users
Tax, County Road and Bridge funds and State Highway Maintenance and Landscape
Funds. The Transportation Development Excise Tax Fund is supported by a
transportation related excise tax, levied against new construction for development related
infrastructure needs.
The Capital Improvements Program (CIP) has been developed in support of TMP
prioritization with the identified modal emphasis. A copy of the 2004-2009
Transportation Fund and Transportation Development Fund Capital Improvements
Attachment A
Programs are provided in .
Schedule
The city budget goes through an extensive development and review process. The budget
process starts in March leading to final City Council approval in the fall. A schedule of
the major milestones is provided below. Elements involving TAB participation are
bold italics
highlighted in .
Milestone Date
Capital Projects Information Sharing Meeting April 2004
TAB Budget Discussion Kickoff April 12, 2004
City Council Study Session on 2005 Budget April 27, 2004
Staff briefing and TAB comment May 10, 2004
Proposed Budget Submittal to City Managers Office (CMO) June 4, 2004
=
Department Budget Review by CMO June 7, 2004
Public Hearing and TAB Budget Deliberation and Recommendation June 14, 2004
CIP Submitted to Planning Board Early July 2004
Planning Board CIP Hearing Mid-July, 2004
City Council Consideration October 2004
Budget Issues
Transportation is committed to being fiscally responsible while responding to community
values and priorities. In order to understand the future, it is helpful to be grounded in the
past. In 2003, Transportation experienced a combined 7% decrease in funding revenues
resulting in budget cuts of $1M annually. Combined 2002 & 2003 budget reductions
total $3.5M annually.
AGENDA ITEM #____V____PAGE__- 2 -__
2003 Fund Update
The Transportation Fund ended the 2003 fiscal year with revenues (excluding reimbursements
and grants) collected at approximately 8% ($1.4M) below approved budget primarily due to
decreased sales tax revenue. Sales tax revenue comprises approximately 63% of total fund
sources.
The Transportation Development Fund ended the 2003 fiscal year with revenues
(excluding reimbursements) collected at approximately 14% ($158k) above approved
budget. Excise taxes comprise approximately 83% of fund sources and were up 22% for
the year.
While declining sales tax collections impacted the Transportation Fund, both funds were
impacted by large declines in interest revenues.
2002 & 2003 Budget Reductions
In 2002 and 2003, the Transportation Fund made sustainable reductions totaling
approximately $3.5M across all programs in order to adjust for the decline in sales tax
revenues. City Council supported a reduction strategy to lower transportation spending
while maintaining integrity with program objectives. Principles of this strategy were to:
maintain the integrity of the Transportation Prioritization approach developed
with Council two years ago;
scale back system expansion while continuing to make progress on the multi-
modal system;
achieve sustainable reductions, rather than one-time reductions;
take a balanced approach to reductions and include all modes across all programs
including CIP projects;
maintain leveraged funded CIP projects; and,
minimize reductions to maintenance and operations functions.
Based on these principles, generally a 15% reduction in operation and maintenance
programs and a 50% reduction in enhancement programs were achieved. This approach
meant that sidewalk repair, chip and seal, asphalt overlay and other important program
budget reductions were minimized to continue to adequately maintain our existing
infrastructure.
Examples of budget and service reduced during 2002 & 2003 include:
elimination of two positions in the planning/operations and project construction
work groups;
reduction in mowing cycles in transportation right-of-way (an aesthetic issue);
slowing the expansion of bicycle and pedestrian system enhancements by 50%;
reduction in the number of LED signal replacements;
reduced asphalt overlay and chip and seal programs extending the maintenance
cycle for city streets from 7 to 10 years to 15 to 20 years;
AGENDA ITEM #____V____PAGE__- 3 -__
defer capital funding for the Neighborhood Traffic Mitigation Program, while the
education and enforcement components will continue;
defer median upgrades; and
halt city-funded expansion of the Community Transit Network, focusing existing
investments on preserving core elements of the system including pass programs
and successful existing transit services.
2004 Budget Reductions
The 2004 approved budget reflects a balanced budget incorporating additional reductions based
on sales tax projections. Consistent with prior reductions, our focus is to maintain service
integrity and a fiscally constrained budget.Also, Transportation continues to identify and
implement efficiencies in services and programs to assure resources are wisely managed.
The Guiding principles
identified for 2002 and 2003 continue; however, a refined set is
as follows:
maintain integrity of the Transportation Prioritization approach previously
developed by Council, in priority order:
1.maintenance and operations, limited/strategic reductions
2.multi-modal system expansion – slow expansion, focusing reductions on
projects which increase maintenance responsibilities
3.neighborhood quality of life – defer additional capital investments;
achieve sustainable reductions over time, rather than one-time reductions;
continue efficiency improvements, such as reducing service in technical support
categories where appropriate; and,
maintain leveraged funded projects.
The initial round of 2004 Transportation budget reductions ($475,000 annually) held
operations and maintenance reductions at the 15% level that occurred in 2002/2003,
making strategic reductions in the expansion of the multi-modal system. However, the
further decline in sales tax revenue, from negative 5.5% to negative 8% (another
$300,000 annually), required that operations and maintenance be considered for further
reductions.
The total annual budget reduction through 2002-2004 is approximately $4.3M annually.
Since significant budget reductions began, including the July 2003 downward revenue
adjustment, the overall reductions in Transportation include a general reduction in
operations and maintenance by 18%, a reduction to the modal expansion/enhancement
program by over 50%, and a deferral in neighborhood enhancement projects.
In the two sets of 2004 budget reductions, totaling $775,000 annually, examples of
additional service level reductions include, but are not limited to:
the elimination of two additional FTE’s in the modal planning area and two
FTE’s in transportation maintenance;
AGENDA ITEM #____V____PAGE__- 4 -__
the reduction of modal system expansion to leveraged-funded projects and
limited opportunities that arise for system expansion;
the extension of cycles for technical support services such as traffic counts;
limiting support for surveying and technical studies;
contracting out the Chip & Seal Program; and,
the elimination of two fleet vehicles.
While a number of other departments are personnel intensive, only approximately 20% of
Transportation expenditures have been for personnel. To date, six FTE’s have been
eliminated and other personnel expenses have been reduced such as use of overtime and
seasonal employees.
TEA-21 Funding
Through the 2004 DRCOG Transportation Improvements Program (TIP), the city will
receive approximately $12M over the next three years (2005-2007). The following
project funding is approved.
Project Amount Year
Boulder Real-Time Transit Information $200,000 2006
th
30 Street Bikelanes; Arapahoe to Pearl $300,000 2006
$2,978,000 2007
Broadway: Pine to Iris Ave Reconstruction $500,000 2005
$126,000 2006
$5,851,000 2007
Elmer’s Two-Mile Trail Connection $1,722,000 (Pool) 2005
Colorado Ave Bikelanes & Sidewalk Project $515,000 (Pool) 2005
Approved By:
Tracy Winfree,
Director of Public Works for Transportation
Attachments:
A – 2004 Transportation Budget - Modal Investment Distribution
B – Transportation Fund and Transportation Development Fund 2004-2009 Capital
Improvements Programs
AGENDA ITEM #____V____PAGE__- 5 -__
Attachment A
ATTACHMENT A -2004 Approved Transportation Budget
Modal Investment Distribution
Modal Investment Distribution
Mitigation
TDM
Pedestrian
2%
3%
17%
Bike
Roadway
15%
42%
Transit
21%
Year 2004 Approved Budget
2003 Approved Budget2004 Approved Budget
TotalTotal
$%$%
Mode/Functiono/o/mEnhancementsmEnhancements
Pedestrian2,079,0333,194,4555,273,48822%2,082,9781,392,8483,475,82617%
Bike1,032,7563,522,4344,555,19019%995,7382,115,7693,111,50715%
Transit1,244,8881,971,7323,216,62013%2,190,9322,097,9114,288,84321%
Roadway6,940,2232,637,3699,577,59240%6,842,3441,609,1578,451,50142%
TDM541,302414,213955,5154%352,967265,402618,3693%
Mitigatio443,165114,511557,6762%431,9530431,9532%
n
Total12,281,36711,854,71424,136,08112,896,9127,481,08720,377,999
% of Total51%49%100%63%37%100%
includes Funds 180 & 181
- Budget is based on Pedestrian/Bike/Transit Modal Emphasis;