25LINKBUDGET(FULL) - Flipbook - Page 76
City of Plymouth 2024 / 2025 Budget
Street Repair Program
The condition of the City's roads plays a pivotal role in both the City's aesthetic appeal and
the safety of its residents. Historically, the state has allocated some funds to cities for road
maintenance. However, these funds have fallen short of covering routine tasks such as snow
removal, surface patching, and drain cleaning. Consequently, the City has had to allocate a
portion of its general revenues to support routine street maintenance. For more extensive
street reconstruction projects, the burden has typically fallen on local taxpayers, with
occasional assistance from limited grant opportunities provided by federal or state funding.
In 1995, the City conducted a comprehensive Capital Improvement Street Inventory to
establish a long-term roadmap for street construction. The study assessed the condition of the
City's 32 miles of streets and outlined a projected timeline for future projects.
According to the plan, roughly half of all City streets required reconstruction within the first
ten years, with the remaining street network necessitating a similar major investment in the
subsequent decade. The estimated cost for the initial ten-year phase was $5,700,000, and
$6,300,000 for the second ten-year phase. However, the original scope of work primarily
focused on milling and recapping streets, with insufficient provision for the replacement of
water and sewer utility infrastructure, and minimal repairs to the street system's base. To
address this critical need, the City had two financing options: special assessments or a millage
approved by voters.
The First Ballot Proposal
In 1996, the City Commission proposed a ballot initiative for the November 5 General
Election, allowing the issuance of bonds to fund the street repair program and the imposition
of additional millage to cover bond payments. This decision followed extensive deliberations
among City officials and citizens regarding the merits of bond financing versus special
assessments. The majority of voters favored bonds supported by millage over special
assessments for street repairs, approving the proposal with a vote of 2,743 YES to 1,268 NO—
a margin of 68% to 32%.
The authorization from the November 1996 ballot permitted the issuance of up to $12,000,000
in bonds, which were subsequently sold in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2004. This funding approach
differed from the initial plan, as there was no seven-year gap between the first and second
phases of construction. Construction remained virtually continuous from 1997 to 2006 until the
available bond proceeds were exhausted.
Early into the construction process in 1997, it became evident that solely milling and capping
streets would not adequately address the City's long-term street infrastructure needs.
Significant replacement of water and sewer utility systems was deemed necessary alongside
street reconstruction. Furthermore, a program focused solely on milling and capping would
provide only short-term relief, requiring further surface repairs within five to seven years. In
response to these concerns, the City Commission approved a change in the construction
scope, incorporating utility and street base reconstruction to prolong the lifespan of the
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