| City Streets
Financial Information:
 The street department maintains 33 miles of roadway and 5.2 miles of alleys. The Street Fund includes expenses for administration, roadway maintenance, street cleaning, street lighting, snow and ice removal, weed control, traffic control and snow and ice removal. Revenues for the street department operations and capital outlay are from 50% of all property taxes collected, motor vehicle fuel tax and grant or loan funds. Capital projects normally are financed through either grants or debt issues.
The 2007 property tax levy provides a 1% increase or $6,565 plus new construction for a total of $332,500 in property taxes.
In the past the city has received gas taxes in two separate distributions. One was called the "restricted" portion, which equals 31.86 percent of the total gas tax received by the City and was deposited in the Arterial Street Fund. The other tax was called the "unrestricted portion" and was deposited in the street fund. Cities are no longer required to separarte the taxes and are no longer required to use a certain percentage of fuel taxes for capital purposes. Fuel tax funds that the City receives may be used for any street purpose.
STREET FUND EXPENDITURES :
General Roadway: Street Department expenditures are distributed based upon the actual services being provided. The general roadway section of the street budget is for hours worked and the operation and maintenance expenses to maintain the roadway prism or traveled way of all public streets and alleys. 3,820 hours or 1.84 FTE of public works employee hours is budgeted for general roadway. Expenditures attributed to this section of the department are for operating supplies such as the purchase of asphalt for patching of streets, equipment rental fees and asphalt patching by a private contractor. The department grades and gravels the alleys and shoulders of roadways two times per year.
Street Lighting: Expenditures include the hours worked and the operation/maintenance expense incurred for the street lighting system. Typical expenses in this category involve the electrical service charges for the street lighting system and replacement or repairs to the lighting system on Main Street.
Traffic Control Devices: As you travel the city streets you will see a variety of regulatory, warning or guidance signs that require maintenance. These signs are to convey specific messages to the traveling public. The life expectancy of signs is generally 7 or more years. Signs that face south are generally replaced earlier due to sun exposure. Another reason for replacing signs is the changing requirements, either by city council or due to a safety concern. Vandalism and vehicle accidents are one of the primary reasons for replacement of signs and posts. There is a constant need for sign replacement or addition. Signage is also reviewed annually for reflectivity. The expense for sign replacement have increased due to increased aluminum prices. The paint for striping curbs and cross walks has increase by approximately 30%.
The hours worked and the materials needed to paint, repair and replace guardrails, traffic signs, pavement markings such as crosswalk markings and pavement striping (center lines on roadways, fog line, ect.) and the operation, painting and replacement of traffic signals. 600 hours or .3 FTE of public works employee hours are budgeted for traffic control services. The Street Departments contracts with the Department of Transportation for striping the streets and maintenance of the traffic signal in north Omak. In the spring of every year, the street department paints all of curbs and sidewalks.
Snow & Ice Control: Expenditures include the hours worked, equipment rental fees, and repair/maintenance materials for removal of ice and snow from city streets and roadways. 556 hours, or .3 FTE of Public Works Dept. hours and $9,900 for overtime are budgeted for snow removal services. The street department uses the loader, large road grader and small road grader to remove snow from the downtown areas. Truck/snowplow combinations remove snow from the rest of the city. Each snowplow has a specific route that they are responsible for and upon completion of their route they continue on to assist other drivers with their routes. One truck is used exclusively to sand streets as needed. The loader and road graders begin snow removal at midnight and the snowplows begin snow removal at 2:00 a.m. When the plowing of streets has been completed, the snow that has been piled in the center of streets is removed.
Street Cleaning: The hours worked, equipment rental fees and repair/maintenance materials for cleaning of the street surface by sweeping and the collection and disposal of sweepings, leaves, rocks, etc. 754 hours or .36 FTE of public works time is provided in the 2007 budget. The street cleaning program begins in the spring with the removal of the winter sand and ends in the first part of winter. The streets that have curbs are cleaned three times per week. On the streets without curbs, they are swept three times a year. Sidewalks that are the city’s responsibility to maintain are also kept clean.
Roadside/Weed Control: The hours worked and materials used for maintenance of that portion of the right of way beyond the outside edge of the shoulder or the outside edge of the curb when no shoulder exists. Weed control is the removal and control of weeds for that portion of the right of way that is beyond the shoulder of the road. 355 hours or .17 FTE of public works hours are provided for Roadside/Weed control in the 2007 budget.
The goal of the City’s weed control program is to conform to Okanogan County’s noxious weed control policy. The removal of undesirable weeds is done by either chemical spray or mechanical means such as mowing. The City works directly with the Noxious Weed Control for effective herbicides to control the more difficult weeds such as baby’s breath, Dalmatian toadflax, and knapweed. If noxious weeds are located on private property the noxious weed board will contact the property owner. The City will contact citizens on minor problems or refer them to commercial applicators for their needs.
Weed control is done by spraying with city equipment. The products used for weed control have to be rotated out periodically because weeds become tolerant of the chemicals. Approximately 60% of chemical is applied in the parks, streets & alleys and airport 40% of the chemical is applied in the cemetery, police gun range, sewer treatment facility, river dike, and water department properties.
Administrative/General Services: The amount for a portion of the Public Work's Director's and Assistant P.W. Director’s salary and benefits, accounting, mailing, communications, public relations, insurance, engineer services and other general activities which are not assigned to a specific category within the street department.
2007 Goals:
* Ross Canyon Street Improvements - Riverside Drive to Ironwood - $530,400. Widen roadway from 24' to 40 foot roadway which will include two 12 foot wide travel lanes, a 12 foot center turn lane, and two 2 foot paved shoulders, construction of cement curbs and gutters and construction of a five foot sidewalk on both sides of the roadway which will include handicap ramps throughout the entire project. Will include installation of new illumination system throughout the project and provide for future signalization of Riverside Drive and Ross Canyon. The project will be funded by $395,615 TIB grant funds and $134,785 city funds.
* Annual street asphalt overlay - $50,000
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