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HomeMy WebLinkAbout012015_ca07Department of Public Works O Consent Agenda Page 1 of 1 Jefferson County Board of Commissioners Agenda Request To: Board of Commissioners Philip Morley, County Administrator From: Monte Reinders, Public Works Director /County Engineer/ Agenda Date: January 20, 2015 Subject: Letters of Support for Reauthorizing Secure Rural Schools and Self- Determination Act (SRS) Statement of Issue: Request for support for reauthorizing Secure Rural Schools and Self - Determination Act (SRS). Analysis /Strategic Goals /Pro's ft Con's: Due to declining timber harvests on federal lands, Congress passed the SRS in 2000 to provide consistent funding for rural schools and rural roads. The SRS provided approximately $1.3 million annually for Jefferson County roads, which represented about 25% of the roads operating budget; however, after 2008 the payments from this program declined to only $420,000. As of today, Congress has not reauthorized the SRS for 2014. While reduced funding presented challenges, not having this program is unsustainable. In the letters, the County is requesting our members of Congress to support reauthorization of the SRS. Fiscal Impact /Cost Benefit Analysis: Without SRS, the County will not be able to complete needed improvements and repairs on County roads. Recommendation: Please sign and mail the attached letters to Senator Patty Murray, Senator Maria Cantwell, and Representative Derek Kilmer. Return a copy of each signed letter to Public Works (Attn: Zoe Ann Lamp). Department Contact: Zoe Ann Lamp, Transportation Planner, (360)385 -9162 Reviewed By: i ip Morle unty Administ or Date January 20, 2015 The Honorable Maria Cantwell United States Senate 311 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Cantwell, We are writing to thank you for your ongoing support of the Secure Rural Schools and Self- Determination Act (SRS), and urge your continued leadership on this important matter in the 114th Congress. It is vital to Jefferson County that Congress act as soon possible to retroactively reauthorize SRS for Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 and provide sufficient funding for this fiscal year and beyond. Since its inception, the SRS program has been critical to Jefferson County's ability to provide basic services to our constituents. Until 2008, Jefferson County received about $1.3 million per year for roads maintenance and construction purposes, while we received another $1.3 million for schools. That level of funding is akin to what the county receives in annual motor vehicle fuel tax allocations. In fact, the SRS payment represented about 25% of the Department of Public Works' regular operating budget for roads. Unfortunately, in subsequent years the SRS payment decreased to only $420,000 per year under this program. To deal with the dramatic cutback, the County has continued to defer maintenance on pavements, bridges, and culverts and eliminated many positions that went along with this work. While reduced funding levels present challenges, not having the program at all is simply unsustainable. Jefferson County will face severe financial problems that, without an SRS extension and funding, will require us to forego even the most basic maintenance and repairs to avoid bankruptcy. The events of the past few weeks demonstrate the predicament we are in. Between Thanksgiving and early December, Jefferson County bore the brunt of several severe storms in our region. As you can see from the attached photos, Upper Hoh Road, Quinault South Shore Road, and Dosewallips Road were damaged as a result. All roads had to be reduced to one lane, and the necessary repairs will be costly. The Upper Hoh, Quinault South Shore, and Dosewallips Roads are all critical, federal lands access roads that we need to repair as soon as possible. These are projects for which the Department of Public Works would typically have used SRS funding. Fortunately, we were successful in obtaining FHWA -ER assistance for the Upper Hoh Road and Quinault South Shore Road repairs; however, there is never a guarantee that these funds will be accessible for future events. Simply put, Jefferson County does not have the financial resources on its own to deal with emergency situations like these. However, it is also not a workable solution to resort to emergency funding after every storm. We need Congress to reauthorize and fund SRS. As you know, timber counties such as ours have been seriously affected by the severe reduction in harvests on federal land. The SRS program was critical to offset the loss of revenues for local governments. A continued lapse in payments would cripple our ability to serve our constituents. We ask that Congress simply make good on the commitment it made to timber counties and enact a long -term, sustainable, and retroactive extension of SRS right away in 2015. In closing, we would be remiss not to congratulate you on your new role as Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. We applaud your attention to natural resources issues critical to Jefferson County and across our great state, and look forward to working with you and your staff in the New Year. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions. Sincerely, David Sullivan, Chairman Phil Johnson, Member Kathleen Kler, Member Damage to Upper Hoh Road from storm over Thanksgiving 2014 Damage to Quinault South Shore Road from December 10 -12 Storms Damage to Dosewallips Road from December 10 -12 Storms