Fairfax poised to place $18M road measure on ballot
The council has adopted a resolution of necessity, indicating the town is in need of infrastructure improvements beyond its resources.
Fairfax officials are advancing an $18 million bond measure to repair some of the most used roads in the town.
The Town Council voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt a resolution of necessity, indicating the town is in need of infrastructure improvements beyond its resources. The council also adopted the first reading of an ordinance to outline the purpose of the bond, the estimated costs and election details.
The council will vote on Aug. 7 whether to adopt the ordinance on a second reading and place the bond measure on the November ballot.
The vote followed a presentation by town consultant Joe Ririe on a long-term plan to preserve the town’s deteriorating roads.
“We were trying to develop a strategy of where and how to spend the bond funds based on experience and system needs,” said Ririe, president of Pavement Engineering Inc. “The strategy we are presenting and the improvements that will be done as result of the strategy will be seen and used by all the residents of Fairfax.”
Fairfax is ranked the lowest in the county on the pavement condition index, which rates the severity and extent of road damage. The town has a PCI of 52 — considered “at risk” — and ranks 98th out of 109 Bay Area municipalities that track road conditions.
The town’s PCI is on pace to drop to 46 in the next five years, Ririe said.
The town is embarking on a five-year, $2.5 million plan to address some interior roads before the potential passage of the bond measure. The town has allocated about $500,000 each year, beginning with this fiscal year.
The five-year plan includes 18% of town roads. The bond measure would account for 22.9% of town roads. Combined, they would involve about 1.3 million square feet of pavement.
“We wanted to show the council and community what could be done,” said Town Manager Heather Abrams. “We can’t do every road with this $18 million, so we tried to make it really count.”
Ririe said there is no estimate on how much the work would raise the town’s overall PCI, noting there are too many variables.
The bond-funded plan focuses on the main routes through town, including Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, Bolinas Road, Center Boulevard, Broadway, Laurel Drive, Scenic Road, Willow Avenue and Porteous Avenue.
Ririe said the routes are critical for daily commutes, emergency evacuations and overall connectivity within and outside the town. The focus on the routes will yield the most significant benefit for the community, he said.
Councilmember Lisel Blash said in a phone interview that road conditions ranked among the top concerns of constituents.
“It was the most common thing I heard when I was walking neighborhoods,” she said. “I feel like this is a good time to address it.”
Public Works Director Loren Umbertis said efforts will continue to secure grants and collaborate with the county, the Marin Municipal Water District and the Transportation Authority of Marin to supplement the bond funds.
The town also has an application pending with the federal government through its Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program, which is funded through the Department of Transportation.
The bond measure would need a two-thirds majority vote in favor for it to pass. But the vote could be 55% if ACA-1 — a state ballot measure to lower the voter threshold for general obligation bonds and special taxes for affordable housing and public infrastructure projects — passes in November, according to a staff report.
For the $18 million bond, the estimated average annual tax rate is approximately $30 per $100,000 of assessed value. Fairfax median assessed value is approximately $630,000.
“We are very confident that it will pass,” said Mayor Barbara Coler. “What we are banking on is trying really hard to pass the measure.”
The town is forging ahead with the plan despite a recent survey that indicated the measure could fail.
The Town Council received a presentation from its consulting firm FM3 at a workshop on May 8. The firm, which conducted a survey and a study, concluded that the bond measure “did not appear viable,” noting an apparent lack of trust in the Town Council leadership.
The survey, which cost $32,690, involved 649 respondents. It was conducted in the latter half of April. In the survey, 61% of respondents said they would support a 30-year, $36 million bond, while 64% would support a $18 million bond.
“The council’s decision last night to officially place the $18 million bond on the ballot is a crucial step to addressing our town’s aging road infrastructure,” Councilmember Chance Cutrano said in a phone interview. “We really cannot continue with a pay-as-you-go model.”
The last roads bond, Measure K, passed in 1999. Bonds were issued in 2000, 2002 and 2006. Measure K was set to have an estimated maximum tax rate of $58 per $100,000 of assessed valuation.
The current rate is $22.50 per $100,000 of assessed valuation. The median price of a single-family home in town is about $650,000, which equates to an annual rate of $146.25.
The town’s road repair budgets have ballooned in recent years. In the 2020-21 fiscal year, the road repair budget was $140,000. This year, it is $1 million.