Street fund may be headed for deficit

Looking to stave off a potential deficit in the city’s street fund in coming years, the Spokane Valley City Council Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a plan that will eventually cut back pavement repair and, in 2008, snowplowing.

Under a proposal in the forming 2007 budget, plowing on the majority of flat residential streets in the city would be substantially reduced.

The street fund’s long-term sustainability has come up several times before as the city’s financial projections show the fund’s expenditures outstripping revenues starting in 2009. The plan discussed Tuesday would put that off until 2010.

Councilman Rich Munson said the city of Spokane allowed its street budget to go underfunded and now has a maintenance backlog.

“I don’t want to be in that position in 18 years in this city,” he said, suggesting that the council look at subsidizing street maintenance with the general fund or raising more money for roads through taxes.

“It’s a discussion we can’t even have until we get our street master plan,” countered Councilman Mike DeVleming, who said the city needs a temporary solution while an ongoing study determines exactly what kind of shape the roads are in.

The 2010 proposal also would decrease money for things like filling potholes and shoulder repairs by about 25 percent in coming years.

Deputy City Manager Nina Regor said that in a heavy snow year the council could always vote to spend more money on plowing than had been budgeted.

By consensus the council instructed the city manager to reduce money for plowing and pavement repair to delay the street fund deficit until 2010.

The 2007 budget will be the subject of a public hearing and other council actions before it is passed.

In the meantime, Mayor Diana Wilhite suggested that the city look into how much it would save to change how deep the snow has to be for the plows to go out.