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January 24, 2001 <br />Lane County Board of Commissioners <br />125 East Eighth Avenue <br />Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br />Subject: County/City Road Partnership <br />Dear Commissioners: <br />The Secure Rurai Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 has the potential to provide <br />opportunities for all of us here in Lane County. As you consider various proposals to realize this <br />potential; please understand how important your decisions are to us, particularly as they affect the <br />distribution of road funds. <br />As we stated in our testimony at the Board's December 5 hearing, the cities are facing serious road fund <br />shortfalls in the near future, jeopardizing our ability to operate, maintain and preserve our streets. <br />Historically, the County/City Road Partnership has helped us address at least a portion of our street <br />maintenance requirements, including the road responsibilities that have transferred to the cities since the <br />mid-1980s. We believe that, because so many Lane County residents live in the cities and because they <br />and all county residents depend on the urban road network, the CountylCity Road Parhlership is an <br />excellent investment for both Lane County and the cities. Our preference continues to be that the <br />funding for the County/City Road Partnership be restored to the 1996 level, effective in FY01-02, and <br />that the cities have considerable discretion in how the transfer payments are spent, so long as the funds <br />are spent on road-related projects. This discretion allows the cities to apply the funds to a wide range of <br />`vitally important operations, maintenance, and preservation needs on the urban road network. <br />Recently, there has been discussion about a proposal to allocate the funds for specific capital projects <br />accordi~ig to certain criteria the Board would establish. While we appreciate the prospect of the County <br />sharing this money, we are concerned that doing so on aproject-specific basis might limit our discretion <br />to apply the funding to high priority OM&P needs, including on roads formerly under County <br />jurisdiction before the City/County Roads Partnership agreements were entered into. If the County feels <br />a portion of the transfer payments should be devoted to road capital projects, we strongly urge that you <br />support a definition of capital projects to include preservation, overlays, major rehabilitation and <br />reconstruction work. <br />This is an issue of common concern for the cities in Lane County. We appreciate your attention to this <br />matter and look forward to continuing our successful relationships in 2001 and beyond. <br />Sincerely, <br />[signatures on reverse side] <br />cc: Lane County Roads Advisory Committee <br />Bill Van Vactor, Lane County <br />Jim Johnson, City of Eugene <br />Mike Kelly, City of Springfield <br />encl: Fact sheet - "Road Funding Vital to Cities in Lane County" <br />Fact sheet - "Summary of Urban Transition" <br />