HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 09/25/2007 - THE CITY MANAGER'S 2008-2009 RECOMMENDED BUDGET DATE: September 25, 2007 WORK SESSION ITEM
STAFF: Darin Atteberry FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL
Mike Freeman
SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION
The City Manager's 2008-2009 Recommended Budget.
GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED
The purpose of this work session is to continue to review and respond to Council questions related
to the City Manager's 2008-2009 Recommended Budget.
1. Review the remaining six results areas including key purchase:
• Environmental Health
• Safe Community
• Neighborhood Livability
• Cultural and Recreational Opportunities
• Transportation
• High Performing Government
2. What additional information does Council need to begin to formulate its direction for
preparation of the annual appropriation ordinance?
BACKGROUND
On September 11, 2007, City Council conducted its first Budget work session to begin the review
of the 2008-2009 City Manager's Recommended Budget. The discussion focused on revenues which
were used as the basis of the budget,assumptions that were used in developing the recommendation
and the allocations that were provided to each of the seven results areas. Council began to review
the individual results areas and the recommended keypurchases beginning with a detailed discussion
about the Economic Health result area. The remaining result areas will be reviewed at this work
session, with the opportunity for Council to seek additional information about those outcomes.
Additional Budget Information
Staff conducted a community open house on the Budget on Monday, September 17. Citizens and
Board and Commission members were asked to provide feedback to Council on the Recommended
Budget. Staff has compiled this information for Council, and it is attached to this agenda item
(Attachment 1). Staff will continue to gather community feedback via the web site activity and
provide this information to Council.
September 25, 2007 Page 2
Staff has also addressed Council follow-up questions from the September 11 Work Session (see
Attachment 2.) Staff will continue to address outstanding questions throughout the budget process
and provide that information to Council.
Finally, in order to provide Council with more in-depth information regarding key budget issues,
staff has developed a series of"Budget Issues Reports" (White Papers). Attachment 3 includes
Reports on the following issues:
• Mason Corridor
• Pavement Management
• General Reserves Summary
• Proposed Utility Rate Increases
Looking Ahead
The next Council Budget work session,October 9,will focus on formulating direction to prepare the
budget for adoption through the annual appropriation ordinance. While Council has the option for
one final work session regarding the budget, it will take place after the First Reading of the
appropriation ordinance on October 16. Therefore,it will be critical that Council provide staff with
direction regarding any changes from the Recommended Budget which should be included in the
appropriation ordinance for First Reading.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Citizen Feedback
2. September 11, 2007 Work Session Follow-up.
3. Budget Issues Reports.
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Citizen Feedback
2008 - 2009
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Recommended Budget
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• Open House : September 17
• Web Activity Feedback on ResultLl
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EMAIL Feedback
>>> "fcgov.com" <webmaster@fcgov.com> 9/16/2007 2:21 PM >>>
Budget Input form
Name: David Hudson
Email: boatman63@hotmail.com
Subject: Budget
Comments:
Remember that governmental functions should focus on essential safety, infrastructure,
and maintenance areas. Eliminate the art,bicycle, environmental, fringe programs and
cut everything else by 5% - 10% and there's your budget surplus. BTW, what happened
to the money that no longer goes to the libraries? And don't even think about a tax
increase to support basic (police, fire, utility, street) functions...it won't pass while there
are all these marginal programs in the budget.
Thank You,
Dave
A response was provided explaining the adoption of the revised 2007 Budget
without the planned implementation of the Transportation/Parks Maintenance
Fees ($3.4 M), which was possible when Library resources were freed up. AMT
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Budget Input form
Name: Phil Phelan
Email: pgphelanayahoo.com
Subject: City Mangers Office budget
Comments:
Is it possible to get some more detailed explanation of what I see to be a 28% increase in
the proposed 2008 budget for the City Managers Office. Thanks
A response was provided explaining the changes in where City Manager's Office
staff was allocated in 2006-07 v. the Recommended 2008-09 Budget. AMT
Mon, 09/17/2007 - 4:48 pm - alanapt(a),riverrock.org
Feedback: The Natural Resources Advisory Board feels it is time for innovation in the
use of taxpayer funds from the Green Energy Program (Approximately$1 million?), to
support the City of Fort Collins Electric Energy Supply Policy from March 2003; in
particular the 11 `Objectives for the Future' outlined in the Environment section of the
• policy, as follows: 1)Reduce energy consumption 10%below 2002, and 17%by 2012;
while avoiding the production of 1.8 million tons of CO2, and reducing Kilowatt hours
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• by 1.7 billion. 2) Reduce per capita peak day electric demand by 15% from the baseline
of 2002, by the year 2012.
The reduction will reduce peak demand by 80 MW, reducing the need for the expenditure
of$25 million for a combustion turbine. 3)Develop and implement effective Demand
Side Management programs. 4) Develop a strategic plan by July 1, 2003 for reaching the
consumption/reduction targets outlined in this policy. Approaches evaluated will include,
without limitation: a systems benefit charge, efficiency programs, incentive programs,
educational programs, revolving loans, and innovative rate structures. 5) Increase
community awareness of DSM and renewable energy programs. 6)Encourage PRPA to
continue to reduce emissions from fossil fuels, and avoid any new coal generating
facilities. 7) Continue to work with PRPA to diversify the energy portfolio sources that
serve the City of Fort Collins. 8) Work with PRPA to increase the City's percentage of
renewable energy from 2% in 2004 to 15%by 2017. 9)Develop and implement programs
that support: *the development and use of renewable resources *sustainable practices
*the City's effort to reduce global warming and, *the design and construction of energy
efficient buildings. 10)Develop and implement policies that require the use of energy
efficient design in the renovation and construction of city facilities. 11) Whenever
possible, integrate efforts for energy efficiency, renewable energy, green buildings
(energy codes), sustainable practices and education.
On an annual basis, the City Manager will provide the Electric Board with a status report
on the objectives in EE Supply Policy. The Clean Energy Cluster, Net Zero project, and
• potential CSU Wind Project offer excellent potential for public-private partnerships in the
region, to accomplish several objectives in the Electric Energy Supply Policy. It is our
opinion that the City of Fort Collins and PRPA staff will need innovative programs to
achieve the Goal of 15%Renewable Energy Supply by 2017. The NRAB respectfully
requests the following: 1) The annual report mentioned in the EE Supply policy, detailing
progress made on the stated objectives. 2)Redeploying the revenues generated by the
Green Energy Program (formerly the Wind Power Program) to support local economic
development projects; such as, the Clean Energy Cluster,Net Zero, and CSU Wind
Power projects. We suggest that this local investment could enhance the overall reduction
of Green House gases through demand side management, benefiting local companies and
homeowners; and/or produce real, locally produced renewable energy, while also
producing local jobs. We feel that appropriate local investment is potentially a much
wiser and more widely beneficial use of ratepayers funds, than purchasing Renewable
Energy Credits (RECs) inside and outside of our geographic region. N.B., To clarify
further however, the NRAB does not recommend any Council or staff actions that would
reduce the total amount of renewable energy that is created by the citizens of Fort Collins
Green Energy funds; but does prefer that revenue generated from Fort Collins residents is
used to maximize impact on our local clean energy economy. Please feel free to contact
me regarding the NRAB's recommendation on this issue. Respectfully Submitted, Ryan
M. Staychock, Chair Alan R. Apt, Vice Chair
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Mon, 09/17/2007 - 5:01 pm - alanapt(a)riverrock.org
Feedback: Dear Council and Manager, Speaking as an individual, I am very
disappointed the environmental tax measures failed. Some of these items have been
pending since I was on council more than 10 years ago; such as additional air and water
quality monitoring. These are quintessential measures of environmental health. Asthma
has become an epidemic (especially among our children), ozone violations and warnings
are common along the front range, VMTs are off the charts, and you are sitting on your
hands when it comes to gathering and assessing crucial air quality data.
You also give lip service to the importance of the Poudre River, yet refuse to add the
monitoring necessary to know where and why soap suds and other pollutants float down
it regularly. Your citizens swim in it daily during the summer, and as you know, it is a
primary source of drinking water. I live and work in Old Town, and the train whistles are
more than a nuisance, and are probably causing hearing damage. Will we ever know on
your watch?
If you truly care about the environmental quality of our city, and citizens'health, then
find the money to protect both, and stop playing shameful politics with cronies who come
down and rant about all and any new taxes.
• Thank you Kelly Ohlson for being the only courageous councilmember for championing
these budget causes to the bitter end, and to the others who almost supported him. Now
please find the money in the regular budget to protect our health and safety in the
broadest 21 st century way.
Thank you.
Alan Apt 520 N.Sherwood St.,#28 FC 80521
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Open House Comments, September 17, 2007
What is the City's total investment in renewable energy? What is the return on these
investments?
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We have basically sound neighborhood livability ordinances, but they have limited value
without credible enforcement. It is disappointing that additional code enforcement
staffing was not recommended for funding. One or two seasonal enforcement personnel
would improve summertime appearance of neighborhoods. The cost would be very, very
small relative to increased livability and value of neighborhoods. We're starting to lose
young families to starter home neighborhoods outside of city limits.
I'm glad there is a key purchase for party patrol and riot prevention programs—what does
this mean, though? What are the small staffing increases for code enforcement? Which
programs? Affordable housing? What are you doing for student affordable housing?
Can the boarding house permits be easier to obtain/make the process easier and the zones
larger?—Katie Freudenthal, communityaffairs@ascsu.colostate.edu
•
Are there dollars in the budget for another indoor recreation center on the south side of
town? Youth summer work programs? —Lee Swanson
Police Services is under funded and cannot deliver on high priority community policing.
City Council should reconsider adding fees (e.g. parks fee) and use those new revenues
for community policing and other under funded enforcement activities.
Bravo to the Council for defeating the hastily added"Health/Safety"part of the ballot
initiative a few weeks ago. We will need the Police &Fire funding, but that third part
killed it. The City's integrity and credibility are at stake when asking voters for
permanent, dedicated funding—be careful!
I would strongly recommend that Council consider the implementation of a monthly
parks maintenance fee for all Fort Collins residents. As a board member we have
discussed this as a group and it is our strong belief that it is needed, necessary, and will
help meet the community expectations of this quality of life amenity. It will also help
• free up some funds for other uses in the Parks Department.
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Senior Center consider fees as a leverage in keeping cost in check for budget.
AAP could be improved for cost controls, reduced, or eliminated for budget cuts. It is
hard to have a program with budget cuts.
Mobility management is an opportunity. Consider funding this effort. Trade off the
marginal Transfort spending.
Why Mason Street? When voters turned it down two times within the past 10 years.
Guess I am saying enough is enough. I am willing to support Mason Street if there are
compelling reasons.
The City Council should better use the advisory boards/commissions by tasking them for
• input on programs/projects ... basically use their talents.
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Web Budget Input Tool
Citizen Feedback as of September 19, 2007
Cultural & Recreational Opportunities
Cut "Art in Public Places"--it's an unnecessary, "cosmetic" expense.
Cut "Rec Trail Development" -- This is an "extra"--take care of BASIC PRIORITIES
before developing and adding more trails.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 9:44 AM
We are spending far too much of the taxpayers'resources on these programs leaving the
• basic functions of government such as law and streets severely underfunded. Let's do the
basics first and these amenities should only come only if there is a surplus AFTER taxes
have been lowered!
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:33 PM
Reduce all line items 10%. These are all optional but neat things.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 1:51 PM
This area (Soapstone should never have been purchased. A total waste of money and
natural resources. Now you are requesting huge amounts of money to develop and
maintain, even though special interest uses are to be allowed. Shame on you, THIS IS
NOT BOULDER OR BOULDER COUNTY. Rod Bennett
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-]6-2007 8:31 AM
Economic Health
TOO MUCH emphasis is given to cosmetic extras--
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CUT the "improvements" and "increased amounts" of Downtown Holiday Lighting.
THIS SHOULD NOT BE A PRIORITY IN DIFFICULT BUDGET TIMES.
Also, I cannot see the "enhancement and expansion" of Downtown Maintenance. Again,
we cannot afford to expand in this area at this time.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 9:48 AM
We don't need to spend a dime on this type of"economic development." If Fort Collins
really wants a good economy it needs to get the heavy hand off the backs of businesses.
Fort Collins has many excessive and unnecessary restrictions on businesses and
development. Anybody looking to start or bring a business to the community needs a
regulatory environment that welcomes business rather than discourages it and drives
existing businesses outside the city.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:38 PM
• Cut the Development Review Center by 50%. All it does is hinder economic growth and
is the largest single expenditure in 'economic health'!
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 1:55 PM
Environmental Health
Why is the city spending valuable tax dollars on renewable energy premiums? The
private sector should be developing renewables...and when they get the price down to a
competitive level, then (and only then) should the city get involved in buying it.
Can you say nanny??
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 8:04 PM
CUT THE WEST NILE FUNDING FOR SPRAYING. We do not need the government
• to take care of what individuals should deal with themselves. (EX: people can choose to
wear insect repellent.)Furthermore, I do not want chemical pesticides sprayed all over
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. the place.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 9:50 AM
These programs receive way too much funding. While some are laudable, they are
breaking the back of the community economically. Fort Collins should sell off much of
these excessive natural lands, removing the onerous costs of maintenance and turning
them again into tax revenue producing private lands!
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:42 PM
Cut all "Natural Areas" items by 50%. These areas have been taking care of themselves
for thousands of years and don't need our help now.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 1:57 PM
High Performing City Government
Benefits programs...
• I would like to see a comparison of how much a city employee receives compared to
other cities and to the private sector. If the city is paying significantly more than the
private sector then the city should look at out-sourcing those employees.
This is a big ticket item...and government workers have historically received generous
benefits...and this city cannot afford to do this any more!
I suspect there is much money to be saved in this area.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 8:27 PM
Outrageously high expenses for the ineffective city government. We could easily get
along with a tiny fraction of this excessively bloated government. I was shocked to see
this list of excessive government waste! If I had realized what my taxes were being spent
on by this city I would have been protesting loudly. Now I know and I assure you my
voice will be heard!
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:47 PM
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• Cut 'Benefit Programs'by 25%. There are too many government employees receiving too
many benefits that private employers can't even afford.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:00 PM
Neighborhood Livability
I do not believe the city should be in the trash business...we have a highly competitive
group of private contractors who provide jobs and who do a good job.
The city does not need to put trash workers on a city pay/benefits scale. The $135K for
this item should be deleted from the budget...and I do not see anything on the 'unfunded'
area that should be picked up.
What are you folks think about??
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 7:47 PM
• Please do not waste money on the BNSF quiet zone study.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 9:59 AM
We need better enforcement of the weed ordinance by Neighborhood Services. Why
wasn't the $17,500 request for this enhancement accepted?
Violations of the weed ordinance cost law-abiding homeowners millions of dollars in
decreased property values. Under-funded enforcement leads to a growth in more
violations as the standards of acceptable property maintenance deteriorate in a
neighborhood.
The problem is greatest in the city's more affordable family neighborhoods, where the
majority of violations are caused by rentals and absentee landlords. If there are
insufficient funds, then the city should investigate a rental licensing program that can
generate the required funding. After all,residential rentals are a business, and any
business that degrades family neighborhoods does not deserve the privilege to operate in
Fort Collins.
Opinion on funding: Too low; increase City sales tax, increase City fees Received on:
Sep-17-2007 11:38 AM
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• Here we go again wasting time and money.
How about using this money for police
Do you really think the city can do a better job hauling
solid waste and recycling than the private sector??
This item needs to be taken off the budget.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 7:09 PM
None of these functions are needed, or even something that should be performed by
government! We can easily cut these to zero. Doing so would make the city Better!
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:50 PM
Cut all line items 50%. Neighborhood Livability' doesn't seem like a basic function of
government.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:02 PM
Why are we budgeting money to create a trash utility and to district trash service? I want
• to have my own choice when it comes to who will pick-up my trash and recycling. My
current hauler is providing excellent service in part I believe due to the existing
competitive nature of this business. Creating a city utility and/or districting will just
create another costly city department which will provide marginal service at a higher
cost. Let's use this money for more pressing issues, such as police and fire department
funding shortfalls!
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-15-2007 9:51 AM
We have a clean city. We do not need the city getting into the trash business. Trash
hauling that we have today works well. Prices are fair, competition is good, and the city
is clean. I like choosing my hauler.
The city has enough real issues. Our police and fire protection are underfunded. How can
you even consider spending $135,000 on trash districting when this could easily pay for
another policeman? It appears that the city is having difficulty running the police and fire
departments. Why do you think you can add trash hauling to your list of provided
services?
I like my chosen hauler. I have excellent service. My friends and neighbors are happy
with their service. Districting is not an issue that the city should spend time or money on.
Please focus your efforts and my tax money on existing issues such as police and fire
• protection.
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• Lyn Pring
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-14-2007 9:33 AM
The Party Patrol was not funded by the Team but was moved up as the City Manager's
recommended budget. CSU provides no funding for this offer and over the past 2 years
the Police have been able to fund this in-house. It was asked but not pursued that CSU
assist in the funding of this item. In fact it was mentioned from Police that if it wasn't
funded it would still be covered as it has been in the past. Makes you wonder why such
items are on the list if they will be covered? How much extra is budgeted then in such
areas?
Also Trash Districting wasn't even presented to the team and yet here it is. Last time it
was presented and the team didn't fund it but the City Manager's recommended budget
moved it up. Then Council removed it and didn't move forward. Currently there are 3
Trash companies doing business in Fort Collins as Dick's has been bought out by GSI.
Opinion on funding: Satisfactory/Acceptable Received on: Sep-13-2007 8:09 AM
Safe Community
• Funding our police and fire services is BASIC. Money being used for extras (such as
"bike library", "art in public places", new rec trails, West Nile spraying, holiday lights,
etc. ) should be reallocated to the basic NEED for public safety,which is provided by
police and fire services.
Opinion on funding: Too low; transfer budget money from: Economic Health,
Environmental Health,Neighborhood Livability, Cultural & Recreational
Opportunities, Transportation,High Performing City Government
Received on: Sep-18-2007 9:56 AM
Come on and take the FLUFF out. I see too many items that won't add up
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-17-2007 7:00 AM
While this is one of the few core governmental areas; any budget can be cut by 10%.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:05 PM
• Again, the budget process is flawed! You as the city waste huge amounts of money on
the new police management Castle , when a simple building would have been
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• appropriate, then fail to budget for the additional personnel to fill it. Please do not say we
need to keep the head count even or ahead of other cities averages. Learn to live within a
budget and make the hard cuts if needed. The general population of Fort Collins does this
each and every day to make ends meet. These are a few of the reasons my family will be
moving outside the city and county limits of(Boulder)oops!, I mean Fort Collins. Rod
Bennett
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 8:38 AM
Offer Title: Camera Radar Offer
Cameras are starting to pop up everywhere. It concerns me because if citizens give up
liberty for security, we will end up losing both. Instead use the money to fund other
projects that don't infringe on our constitutional rights as American citizens.
thank you.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-12-2007 3:39 PM
Transportation
• Transfort...I believe this items is way too high!
I cannot recount the number of buses I see with 0 or 1 person riding in them. This cannot
be economical. I have to believe that if the city identified these few riders, they could
give them dedicated 'dial a ride' at a far lower cost that the cost of fueling and driving all
of those empty buses...and traffic patterns would be improved because the large and slow
buses would be removed from the streets.
I know having buses sounds correct....BUT THEY ARE GENERALLY EMPTY! They
stink up the town, they slow traffic, and they cost a ton of money to operate. A complete
re-think is needed on this one!
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 8:13 PM
A Fort Collins Bike Library?? No thanks. Don't need to pay for this unnecessary extra
right now.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-18-2007 9:51 AM
I realize this was developed by a Budgeting on Outcomes, similar to zero based
• budgeting, and this numbers have been justified. However, to properly appreciate the
"outcomes" one needs comparative data. This would be listing the previous year's ('07)
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• funding, and even a trend of funding over the previous five years, as a comparison to
learn where reductions and increases are located in the list. That would open it up to
questions on the justification.
Opinion on funding: Satisfactory/Acceptable Received on: Sep-16-2007 10:33 PM
This is one of the most basic functions. Unfortunately, the funds within this category are
poorly allocated. The first thing that needs correction is the Mason corridor. This is a
total waste. Tear up the plans and forget it! That would free up $62M for some of the
more urgently needed street repairs.
Second the "impact" fees need to be eliminated. They are one of the many reasons the
city is not making satisfactory economic progress. These fees discourage the very thing
we need, economic development. If the development comes, the taxes will follow.
Parking also seems to be taking too much money, certainly this function can be
completed more economically. There has to be some kind of significant inefficiency in
this department.
Transfort is another example of a highly inefficient operation. Let's get the city out of this
function and find get private enterprise to serve this function. It could probably be done
• for less than half of what city taxpayers waste on this.
Opinion on funding: Satisfactory/Acceptable Received on: Sep-16-2007 3:12 PM
"Travel Trainer"? "Bike Library"? "Bicycle Plan Implementation"? You've got to be
kidding. Cut these three 100% and everything else except actual street maintenance by
10%
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 2:10 PM
This budget is a complete joke. We, as citizens have expressed our disapproval for the
Mason Street Corridor project many times yet you keep ramming it down our throats.
Please, it does not matter that you have so many federal dollars to spend on this project or
loose the money. Let me say LOUD AND CLEAR, their no demand or support for this
project. Drop it for good!!! Now maintain the streets we have.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-16-2007 8:42 AM
Scrap the Mason street corridor. We've already voted it down twice. It doesn't matter
what new spin the un-elected city manager puts on it. Complete the bike trail as already
• approved and stop. This is what the citizens wanted, which obviously doesn't matter to
the current city government with 'their plan'.
Opinion on funding: Too high Received on: Sep-13-2007 9:04 AM
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❑ 2008 - 2009
❑ Recommended Budget
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September 20 , 2007
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City of Fort Collins MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council Members
FROM: Darin Atteberry, City Manager �J
Mike Freeman, Interim Chief Financial Officer
Ann Tumquist, Policy and Project Manager
RE: September 11 Budget Work Session Follow-up
DATE:DATE: September 20, 2007
On September 11, City Council and staff met in work session to begin Council's review
of the City Manager's Recommended 2008-09 Budget. Council asked for additional
information regarding a number of questions. This memorandum addresses those follow-
up questions.
• 1. Please detail the specific costs for operating and maintaining the new facilities,
e.g., Police building; Northside Aztlan; Spring Canyon Park.
In 2008, the costs for operating new facilities will be as follows: the Police Building
$683,755; the new Northside Aztlan Community Center$313,109; Spring Canyon
Community Park Maintenance Shop $29,810. A more detailed description of
facilities operation and maintenance costs is included in Attachment A.
Spring Canyon Community Park grounds maintenance was fully funded in 2007 with
no additional General Fund money. Total funding for operations and maintenance is
$340,000 of which $140,000 being allocated from lottery proceeds, $110,000 from
reallocating sport facilities rentals and preps from Recreation to Parks, and $90,000
from reductions in Parks services, i.e. elimination of a scheduling position and other
miscellaneous service reductions.
Spring Canyon Community Park
Grounds Maintenance Cost, 2008 Projected
Staffing costs $180,000
Contractual costs $80,000(Utilities, equipment costs
Contracted services/repairs, etc.)
Commodities $ 80,000 (Chemicals, irrigation parts,
materials, fuel, sports field
• supplies, etc.)
Lifecycle $0 (Infrastructure replacement
program)
City Council Members
Re: Budget Work Session Follow-up September 11, 2007
September 19, 2007
Page 2
2. What offers are included in only one year (2008 or 2009)? What offers are
significantly different between the two years?
Attachment B illustrates offers which are included in only one year(either 2008 or
2009) and offers which have significantly different costs between the two years.
Primarily, offers included on this list are for either one-time funding of a special
project or study, or are capital projects which are funded on a one-time basis. A few
on the list are projects which received either partial funding or were funded in only
one year, despite seeking full funding in both years.
3. What is the ratio of the Parks budget to the City budget for the years 1997 and
1998, 2005 and 2006? What was the sales tax growth rate each of those years?
The ratio of the Parks budget to the City budget has fluctuated between 5.8% and
6.6% of the General Fund Budget since 1997. As a percentage of the Total City
Operating Budget, the Parks budget has varied from 1.4%to 1.6%of the total.
During that time, though the percentage of the total budget has not changed by more
than .5%, the Parks Department has significantly increased the services which it
provides and has increased the acreage it maintains by nearly 400 acres. With two
new Community Parks added since 1997, and many additional acres of new
neighborhood parks, trails, and medians, the department has seen a significant growth
in demand for service.
In addition to maintaining additional parkland, the Parks Department has also
assumed responsibility for maintaining many non-park areas since 1997. New
programs include maintenance of the downtown plantings, Old Town Square, the Old
Town Ice Rink, and the administration of the Mosquito Control Program. In 2008, it
will also be responsible for the Downtown Holiday Lighting Program and enhanced
maintenance of the downtown area if proposed offers are approved in the Final 2008-
09 Budget.
A detailed comparison of expenditures and total City resources is included in
Attachment C.
4. What is the total salary cost for classified/unclassified employees, 2005-2009?
Year Total Personal Services Increase
(All City Funds) %
2005 $98,031,822
2006 $98,930,681 0.92%
2007 $101,044,962 2.14%
2008 $109,373,652 8.24%
2009 $114,523,712 4.71%
Projected Personal Services increases in 2008-2009 include the addition of new positions
currently included in the City Manager's Recommended Budget.
City Council Members
Re: Budget Work Session Follow-up September 11, 2007
September 19, 2007
Page 3
5. What is the first year cost for a new Police Officer? Second year costs? Later
years?
New Police Officer Average Annual Cost
Estimated 2008
Salary/ Operating One-time Total
Benefits Operating
(start-up)
Year 1 $78,518 $16,824 $29,956 $125,298
Year 2 $83,288 $16,824 - $100,112
Year $90,425 $16,824 - $107,249
6. What is included in the Economic Marketing offer?
The Economic Marketing offer includes resources to implement the communication
• strategies contained in the City's Economic Action Plan. The primary component of
the offer is a full-time Marketing and Publicity Technician. The offer also includes
approximately$10,000 in printing and advertising costs. Specific functions of the
position include updating and maintaining thefcgov.com/business website, creating
and distributing the economic e-newsletter, and fostering relationships with local
businesses and community partners.
The position will assist the Economic Advisor in responding to inquiries for
information, tracking relevant news coverage and providing updates for City Council
and the City Manager. A portion of the Marketing and Publicity Technician's time
will be used to facilitate usage of the new community brand, developed in 2007. This
includes overseeing implementation within the City organization and coordinating
implementation with representatives from the City of Fort Collins, the Fort Collins
Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Downtown Business Association, the
Downtown Development Authority, Colorado State University, Poudre School
District, the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Arts Alive and the Cultural
Resources Advisory Board.
Currently, the Marketing and Publicity Technician position is funded as a .5 FTE.
However, after a year of having the economic health activities up and running,we
have determined that this is insufficient. The growing demands for increased
communication with the business community and target industry groups require that
additional resources be dedicated to economic communication.
•
City Council Members
Re: Budget Work Session Follow-up September 11, 2007
September 19, 2007
Page 4
7. In what way are xeric and low water use plants used in downtown plantings? Is
there a ratio? Are perennials used?
The Parks Department does Xeric plantings in the downtown area; while not all of the
plants at the comers are xeric, the raised planters on College Avenue are 100%
Xeriscape plantings. The types of plantings in the downtown core area are roughly
70%-75%perennials. The flowers pots are predominantly annuals and they can
require more water. In the enhancement offer(# 129.2)Parks will showcase flowers
in the pots that are"best of from the CSU gardens at College and Lake Street which
translates to more color and lower water usage. Our concern for minimizing water
usage has led us to implement a series of best management practices such as mixing
polymers (water absorbent gels) into the soils, watering early in the morning to
minimize evaporation, using subsurface irrigation, drip irrigation for many of the
pots, and using mulches when possible.
Approximately 3 acre feet of water were used in the downtown core area for the
watering of the botanicals in 2006.
Examples of some of the perennials which we are planting are: Basket of Gold,
Creeping Strawberry, Snowmound, Pasque Flower, Creeping Veronica, and Common
Sage.
We have been partnering with the DDA, DBA and POTS, who have been
contributing to the funding for the flowers, and who have emphasized the need for
colorful annuals to make this area as attractive and inviting as possible.
8. Industry Clusters: What does the City get from this offer? What agencies are
involved? Is this less expensive than doing the work in-house?
The 2006 & 2007 budget included funding to conduct an initial targeted industry
study. That study identified five key industry clusters currently in existence in the
City that can be further developed that will create high quality jobs for community
members. Those clusters are Biotechnology, Clean Energy, Software, Chip Design,
and Uniquely Fort Collins.
In 2007, the task of implementing the cluster development was launched and included
in the City's economic action plan. The City invested$25,000 in three clusters in
2007, including funds for clusters that are up and running(Biotechnology and Clean
Energy) and in the emerging Uniquely Fort Collins through the Be Local support for
independent business owners.
Each of the City contributions is tied to specific action items that are to be
accomplished. The City's purchasing department has two contracts for services with
the Biotechnology Cluster and Be Local. In 2008, the City will enter into a contract
City Council Members
Re: Budget Work Session Follow-up September 11, 2007
• September 19, 2007
Page 5
for services with the Clean Energy Cluster as well. Contributions to the Clean
Energy cluster have been made but were funds that were committed in 2006 and tied
to assisting in getting the Cluster up and running. The 2008 clusters budget is
recommended at $100,000. If approved by the City Council, funding will be
provided to support four cluster groups:
1. Biotechnology
2. Clean Energy
3. Be Local/Uniquely Fort Collins
4. Software
The 5`h cluster, Chip Design is not anticipated to require City funding. The City will
enter into contractual relations with the organizations organizing the cluster activity
and the contracts will include specific tasks that are to be funded.
9. Should offers 24.2 and 29.2 be on-going offers?
The position in Offer 24.2 is a new plant operator for the Water Treatment Facility
and the operator position in Offer 29.2 is filling a budgeted vacant position at the
Water Reclamation Facility. The seller did not add a "new" position for Offer 29.2.
• The Utilities are filling the plant operator vacancies to maintain the level of skill
needed at the plants recognizing that operator turnover will increase with the
retirement of existing operators. Staff is taking steps to address succession planning
while at the same time being conscientious about efficiencies.
10. What services does the City provide to specifically benefit low-income residents?
The City of Fort Collins has a long history of providing services and benefits to low-
income residents. Following is a sample list of services which especially benefit
many low-income residents:
• Transfort Bus Service—routes are especially oriented to serving many low-
income neighborhoods
• Dial-a-Ride—service provides affordable transportation options to many
residents who would not otherwise have accessible service
• Recreation Scholarship Program—provides access to wide variety of
recreational opportunities
• Rebate Programs—Grocery Food Rebate,Utility Rebate and Property Tax
rebates
• Utility Payment Assistance Fund
• Affordable Housing Program—CDBG/Home; Homebuyer Assistance; etc.
• • Partnership with Project Self-Sufficiency providing volunteer mechanics to
PSS participants
Maintenace Cost Summary for New City Facilities Attachment A
New Police Building 2007* 2008 ** 0 2009 **
Building Maintenace & Repairs $ 126,500 $308,650 $310,470 (Includes personnel, direct & overhead expenses, snow removal & lawn maint)
Building Operations/ Custodial $70,388 $ 1559305 $ 1679003 (Custodial, trash, sec. & alarms Etc)
Utilities $1199760 $2199800 $2299110 (Electrical, Water, Natural Gas, Sewer and Storm Drainage)
Total $3169648 $6839755 $7069583
Northside Aztlan Community Center F, 2008 ** 2009 **
Building Maintenace & Repairs $39,400 $ 1209009 $ 121 ,000 (Includes both direct and overhead expenses)
Building Operations/ Custodial $419703 $79,300 $83,810 (Custodial, trash, window cleaning, security, alarms, etc)
Utilities $70,736 $ 1139800 $ 1199660 (Electrical, Water, Natural Gas, Sewer and Storm Drainage)
Total $ 1519839 $3139109 $3249470
Spring Canyon Community Park Maintenance Shop 2007 2008 2009
Building Maintenace & Repairs $0 $20,456 $21 ,069 (Includes both direct and overhead expenses)
Building Operations/ Custodial $0 $29824 $39046 (Custodial, trash, window cleaning, security, alarms, etc)
Utilities $0 $69530 $69850 (Electrical, Water, Natural Gas, Sewer and Storm Drainage)
Total $0 $29,810 $30,965
* Note 1: 2007 budgeted Bldg Ops / Custodial and Utilities as combined $s for partial years for old and new Police & Northside Ctr.
* * Note 2: 2008 & 2009 budget includes snow removal, landscape maintenance, 3 needed Maint. Techs, + 1-time costs for vehicles not included in 2007 M& R
Responsibilities for the outside upkeep of these facilities:
Landscape Maintenance - Parks except for New Police Facility
Snow Removal - Parks except for New Police Facility
Parking Lot upkeep - Operations Services
Note: Major Repair and Maintenance costs are budgeted at a lower rate in the first two years after constructions of a new
building because costruction warranties are in place and will be used for many maintenance and repair costs.
12-Sep-07
• • A*en[B
Differences between 2008 and 2009 Drilling Platforms
2008-2009 City Manager's Recommended Budget
One-
Offer Funded/ time/On- 2008 Offer 2009 Offer
Number Offer Title Unfunded going Total Total Comments
Economic Health
114.2 UniverCity Connections Phase 11 Funded One time $ 20,000
176.3 Development Review Center Record Archive Unfunded One time $ 13,500
188.1 Downtown Parking and Infill Development Study Unfunded One time S 100,000
194.4 Industry Cluster Update Funded One time $ 30,000
194.8 New City Logo and Brand Implementation Unfunded One time $ 236,775
Transportation
88.5 Pavement Management Enhanced Unfunded Ongoing $ 1,423,037
126.1 Transportation Master Plan Update Unfunded One time $ 300,000
126.2 Transfort Strategic Operating Plan Update Unfunded One time $ 100,000
y-O 127.2 Enhanced Travel Corridor Timberline Road Unfunded One time $ 300,000
m 127.3 Enhanced Travel Corridor North College Unfunded One time $ 200,000
127.4 Enhanced Travel Corridor Harmony Road Unfunded One time S 200,000
138.1 eCommerce Implementation--Parking Services Unfunded One time $ 44,000
160.13 Snow Removal--ADA Sidewalk Enhancement Unfunded Capital $ 117,000 $ 12,000 Capital
various CMAQ Grant Projects Funded Capital Various Various CMAQ grants for one-time projects
Neighborhood Livability
221.1 Eastside,Westside Neighborhood Plans Update Unfunded One time $ 171,000
234.1 Trash Districting Study Funded One time $ 135,000 Study Funded. No implemenation funding provided
Safe
12.1 Conventional Energy Funded Ongoing $ 58,075,192 $ 60,831,955 Rate increase
18.1 Substations Capital Project Funded Capital $ 5,222,621 $ 220,000 Capital Project
19.1 WiFi Pilot Funded One time $ 50,000 $ 100,000
20.1 Service Center Additions Light and Power Funded Capital $ 4,482,904 $ 254,093 Capital Project
%1 Utilities Capital--Dry Creek Basin Funded Capital $ 1,600,000 $ 300,000 Capital Project
61.1 Utilities Capital--Cooper SloughBoxelder Funded Capital $ 400,000 $ 1,000,000 Capital Project
139.8 PFA South Battalion Unfunded Ongoing $ 664,616 S 506,424
140.1 PFA Capital Projects Funded Capital $ 1,208,000 $ 408,000 Capital Project
140.2 PFA New Station 4 Enhancements Unfunded Capital $ 2,670,789 Capital Project
178.2 Additional Ranger for 2009 Funded Ongoing $ - $ 59,613 New position begins in 2009
Attachment B
Cultural and Recreational Opportunities
22.5 Recreation Scholarship Enhancement Unfunded Ongoing $ 40,000 $ 60,000
44.4 Recreation Clerical Position--Restore Unfunded Ongoing $ 13,144
45.3 Senior Center Clerical Position--Restore Unfunded Ongoing $ 13,182
57.5 New Parks and Trails Funded Ongoing $ 40,500 $ 75,500 1 new park in 2008, 1 additional new park 2009
57.8 Parks Budget Restoration--Weed Control FundedNnfunded Ongoing $ 30,000 $ 30,000 Funded in 2008,not 2009
57.9 Parks Budget Restoration--Trail Mowing Funde nfunded Ongoing $ 5,000 $ 5,135 Funded in 2008,not 2009
169.1 Picnic Rock Operations and Maintenance Funde nfunded Ongoing $ 18,500 $ 18,500 Funding discontinued in 2009
170.2 Public Improvements(Natural Areas) Funded Capital $ 3,522,406 $ 2,102,233 Capital Project
237.1 Lincoln Center Renovation Funded Capital $ 2,217,436 BOB Funded Capital
238.1 Park Upgrades and Enhancements Funded Capital $ 304,897 BOB Funded Capital
Environmental Health
14.1 Utilities Renewable Power Purchases Funded Ongoing $ 885,061 $ 1,072,693
71.1 Utilities Capital Project--Water/SW System Imp. Funded Capital $ 50,000 Capital Project
73.1 Utilities Capital Project--Water/Halligan Funded Capital $ 190,000 $ 8,965,000 Capital Project
74.1 Utilities Capital Project--Water Treatment Facil. Imp Funded Capital $ 75,000 $ 500,000 Capital Project
m 79.1 Utilities Capital Project--WW Drake Facility Funded Capital $ 750,000 $ 200,000 Capital Project
m 83.1 Utilities Capital Project--Mulberry Facility Funded Capital $ 6,150,000 $ 25,650,000 Capital Project
co 84.1 Utilities Capital Project--WW Replacement Program Funded Capital $ 3,794,000 $ 1,497,000 Capital Project
143.1 Utilities Capital Project--WW/NW Sewer Trunk Funded Capital $ 2,000,000 Capital Project
156.1 Natural Areas-Land Conservation and Stewardship Funded Ongoing $ 916,083 $ 2,349,754
166.1 West Nile Virus Protection Partially Funded Ongoing $ 14,156 Partially funded
175.1 Utilities Capital Project--Water Master Planning Funded One time $ 750,000
High Performing Government
30.2 Network Lab Equipment Funded One time $ 29,000
32.2 Collaborative Software Tools Unfunded One time $ 31,000
33.3 Data Management--Servers Funded Capital $ 175,000 $ 154,000 Capital Project
33.4 Enterprise Storage and Tape Backup System Funded Capital $ 261,600 Capital Project
118.1 April Regular Election Funded One time $ 185,990
121.2 Uniform Chart of Accounts Unfunded One time $ 190,000
122.3 Sales Tax Software Unfunded One time $ 100,000 $ 10,000
146.1 Fleet Equipment Replacement Padially Funded Ongoing $ 1,811,371 $ 1,000,000
154.1 Renovate Old Police Building Unfunded Capital $ 6,986,000 Capital Project
207.4 Motivate and Rewards Program Unfunded Ongoing $ 100,000
September 18, 2007
Attachment C
Parks Maintenance Budget
41 1997-2009
Parks as % Parks,Trails
Parks Parks as % of City Medians
Maintenance General Fund of General City Operating Operating Facility
Budget(]) Budget Fund Budget Budget Budget Acres(2)
1997 $3,521,305 $60,194,115 5.8% $247,366,781 1.4% 764.03
1998 $4,128,063 $62,361,412 6.6% $258,977,324 1.6% 790.42
2005 $5,483,725 $94,348,754 5.8% $406,836,689 1.3% 1,015.33
2006 $5,513,484 $97,522,221 5.7% $411,102,716 1.3% 1,022.10
2008 $6,530,347 $106,940,473 6.1% $437,212,950 1.5% 1,150.45
2009 $6,614,790 $109,755,787 6.0% $449,148,829 1.5% 1,159.36
40(1) Parks Maintenance budget includes Downtown maintenance,median maintenance,facilities grounds maintenance,
trail maintenance,and more recently,mosquito control.
(2)New Areas and Programs:
(A) Acreage increases from 1997 to 2009:
Parks 352.83 acres
Trails 15.54 acres
Medians 21.96 acres
Facilities 5 acres
Total new acreage 395.33
(B) New Programs from 1997 to 2009 not associated with acreage:
Assumed responsibility for:
a) Downtown flower planting program
b) Maintenance of Old Town Square
c) Old Town Ice Rink Installation and Removal
d) Maintenance Trimble Court and Tenney Court Alleyways
e) Oversee Mosquito Control Program and all costs associated with program
f) Holiday Lighting Program in Downtown starting in 2008
g) Downtown Maintenance Enhancement starting in 2008
h) Assistance with various events
i) Scheduling of park facilities
• (C) Examples of increased park system usage:
a) #of large events in Parks system have increased from 13 bookings in 1999 to 67 bookings in 2006
(Bookings do not include sports leagues usage or tournaments)
b) Shelter reservations have increased from 180 in 1999 to an estimated 402 reservations in 2006
Page 9 September 18,2007
Sales Tax Collections
Sales Tax
Collections
(2.25%) % Growth
1996 29,040,356 6.61%
1997 31,081,189 7.03%
1998 34142 6,209 10.76%
19991 37)723,559 9.58%
2000: 41,067,896 8.87%
2001 43,473,457 5.86%
2002 43,303,282 -0.39%
2003 43,108,790 -0.45%
2004; 44,329,239 2.83%
2 1 0051,
45,442,110 2.51%
2006 48,324,043 1 6.34%
General Sales
Tax Budget
(2.25%) % Growth
2008 47,727,390 2.03%
2009 48,975,804 2.62%
Page 10 September 18, 2007
L ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ L ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ L ❑ ❑
• C
Attachment 3 ❑
LI
Budget Issues Reports
• Mason Corridor Project
• Pavement Management Program
• General Fund Reserves
• Utility Rates
g L
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3�p
' ;Pi lei
• September 20, 2007
_I L L 1. ❑ 0 L 1 i_ L. ❑ ❑ L L c C �- _. I_
• Transportation Services
Transportation Planning
City of Fort Collins
DATE: September 13, 2007
TO: Mayor& City Council
Darin Atteberry, City Manager
THRU: Diane Jones, Deputy City Manager
Mark Jackson, Interim Transportation Director
FROM: Kathleen Bracke, Interim Transportation Planning Director
RE: Mason Corridor Project Update
On behalf of the City's Mason Corridor project team, I would like to provide this brief project
• summary, including financial information regarding capital and operating/maintenance costs and
important next steps & strategies to bring about this project.
Capital Funding Status
In 2006, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) approved a combined total of
$8.56 million in funding from the State's Senate Bill 97-1 (SB-1) program for the Mason
Corridor improvements, specifically for:
1. Phase I of the "Mason Express" or"MAX"bus rapid transit service that will connect
from Downtown to Colorado State University.
2. Development of the City's South Transit Center, which will be located south of Harmony
Road and west of College Avenue/US287.
The City has initiated the contracting process with CDOT. Contracts for the first phase of this
SB-I funding are anticipated to be sent to City staff by CDOT in late-2007. The contract
documents will be reviewed by staff, including the City Attorney's Office, and financial
commitments associated with the state funding for the Mason Corridor project will be sent to the
City Council for formal action.
The local matching funds for the Mason Corridor SB-1 grant funded projects (Phase 1 MAX and
the South Transit Center) will be provided by the City using existing Building on Basics funding
• as well as from confirmed funding from the Downtown Development Authority(DDA). The
DDA funds are specifically for the Downtown segment of the MAX service and will only be
spent on project costs that are located within the existing DDA boundary.
1
Once the contracts are approved by the City and CDOT, and the overall project Environmental
Assessment document has been approved by the Federal Transit Administration, these Mason
Corridor projects can begin implementation. The goal is to have these projects completed by the
end of 2010.
Over the next year, per standard City protocol, all of the remaining CDOT and/or FTA funding
contracts will be sent to Council for formal action. These will include the confirmed CDOT
Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality grants for the Mason trail elements as well as the
anticipated federal funding for the remainder of the MAX bus rapid transit improvements.
The City is requesting that 80% of the MAX project capital costs be covered by the Federal
Transit Administration(FTA) Small Starts program which is a national transit funding program.
Our intent is to leverage local funding(City & DDA) along with the SB-1 state funds to generate
the remaining 20% of the project cost. The City's share is anticipated to be provided from a
combination of existing Building on Basics funds plus as well as some additional General Fund
dollars (available in 2007 & requested in 2008). Final action on the sources and amounts of the
City's local share will be determined by City Council.
At the end of July, the City submitted an updated application to the FTA, requesting their
approval of the Mason Corridor project. This is an important step required by the FTA's Small
Starts program. City staff will continue to work with FTA over the next several months to refine
our application and we should know the FTA's "Project Rating" for the Mason Corridor project
by October.
The federal Small Starts program requires both FTA approval of our technical application (which
determines the project's rating) as well as action by our Colorado's Congressional
Representatives to include a designated funding request in the President's budget which is
anticipated to be set between October 2007 and February 2008. If the federal funding for the
Mason Corridor project is approved in 2008, the engineering and construction phases for the
project will move ahead quickly. The goal is to complete the entire length of the Mason Corridor
MAX system improvements by the end of 2010.
Staff has discussed the possible scenario that only the confirmed state SB-1 funds are secured
and the FTA funding does not get approved in accordance with the City's request or it is
approved with a delayed schedule. In either event(only state funds or delayed federal funds), the
City has developed the Phase 1 MAX service and the South Transit Center projects to be able to
be built and be functional independently from the rest of the corridor improvements. Both the
Phase 1 MAX and the South Transit Center improvements can"stand alone" and serve our
community very effectively with or without the remainder of the Mason Corridor MAX service.
Using this collaborative partnership approach to fund this major community investment is a
strategic method to best leverage our local, state, and federal funding resources to build the
Mason Corridor improvements. [Please see the capital financial summary attached]
2
• Operations & Maintenance Update
Staff is also updating the anticipated operational and maintenance (O&M) costs for the MAX
system. At this time, City staff is projecting that the net increase in O&M expenses for the MAX
service will be approximately$450,000 - $500,000 annually to cover basic service.
Traditional revenue sources are anticipated to cover this net increase in O&M costs, such as fare
revenues, advertising sales, CSU student fees, FTA subsidies, and local/City funding
contributions. If the City would like to consider added service beyond the basic level (ex. for
special events, increased service frequency/hours of operation, etc.), then other O&M funding
sources beyond the traditional revenues could be examined such as future regional and/or local
transportation initiatives or special districts.
The City and other project partners (CSU, DDA, FTA, CDOT, etc.) will be working together to
develop a realistic and sustainable on-going strategy for funding the net operations &
maintenance cost increase associated with the new MAX service. It is important to keep in mind
that there are substantial benefits involved with adding the MAX service because it will more
cost-effectively replace the existing Route 1 and Route 15 service.
There will be multiple opportunities for the City organization, including the City Council, to
discuss various operations & maintenance scenarios for the MAX service. Again, City Council
• will have the final decision making authority for any financial commitments associated with the
Mason Corridor project— including capital costs as well as operations & maintenance costs.
Return on Investment
Though the initial investment in the Mason Corridor's MAX system improvements may seem
high, it is important for our community to keep in mind the long-term financial gains —both
public & private - that will be returned many times over by a project of this magnitude.
The City has commissioned an independent Economic Generator report for the Mason Corridor
project. Initial findings indicate that the project will generate over $26 million in new tax
revenue over the next 25 years as well as stimulate over$100 million in construction impacts.
The full Economic Generator report for the Mason Corridor is planned to be presented to
Council in October or November.
Also, the Mason Corridor project is an excellent opportunity for the City to leverage local
funding with substantial State and Federal sources.
Next Steps
To maintain on-going communications and progress for the Mason Corridor project, particularly
• over the next few important months (September 2007 through February 2008), monthly Project
Team meetings will be held with key staff from the City Manager's Office, Transportation, and
Transfort, plus Mark Radtke and Mike Freeman.
3
Also, the City has opened up lines of communication with our Congressional Delegation so that
the political and financial process can work side-by-side with the FTA technical process. The
Mason Corridor project briefing that was held with Senator Allard recently was very important
and future opportunities to further engage with him and the other member's of our Congressional
Delegation will be highly imperative. The FTA Small Starts program is extremely competitive
with many cities and transit agencies targeting these funds for their projects.
City Council's continued leadership and guidance through this process is very important to the
project's success. Ideally, we would like to organize future meetings for prominent public &
private sector community leaders to meet with Senators Allard & Salazar and Congresswoman
Musgrave to continue to promote the Mason Corridor project. It is recommended that frequent
contact be continued between the City Leaders and the Congressional Delegation members.
Attached is a summary sheet that highlights the anticipated key project milestones and decision
points. I have highlighted the action items in yellow that involve specific City Council decision
points.
Please let us know if you would like any additional information. We appreciate your interest and
support for this important community legacy project.
Thank you.
CC: Marlys Sinner, Transfort & Dial-A-Ride General Manager
Kurt Ravenschlag, Transportation Planner
Randy Hensley, Transportation Services Budget Manager
Mike Freeman, Chief Financial Officer
Mark Radtke, Legislative Affairs Coordinator
4
• Mason Corridor
MAX Bus Rapid Transit
Financial Summary—Capital Costs
Funding Sources 2006 & 2007 2008 Total
prior
Federal Sources:
80%
FTA Small Starts $54,622,000 $54,622,000
(MAX CSU to STC)
State CDOT SB-1:
(12.5%)
MAX $4,560,000 $4,560,000
Downtown to CSU
South Transit Center $558,512 $3,441,488 $4,000,000
•
Local 7.5%
Land Value for South $1,000,000 $1,000,000
Transit Center
Downtown $600,000 $600,000
Development
Authority
(MAX—DT to CSU
City of Fort Collins
(BOB intersection funds $600,000 $600,000 $1,200,000
for DT to CSU& STC)
City of Fort Collins
(General Fund,2008 BFO $2,300,000 $2,300,000
Request—Offer# 134.1)'
Total: $1,000,000 $6,318,512 $60,963,488 $68,282,000
• ' The additional 2008 BFO General Fund request of$850,000(offer#134.7)is associated with FTA inflation cost
factors for Year of Expenditure. If the additional $850,000 is not approved as part of the 2008 BFO process, the
MAX project scope will be modified and/or phased to fit within available resources.
5
Mason Corridor- MAX Bus Rapid Transit S stem
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Do`,lntowii Transit Center; F� , j Legend
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MAX Downtown to CS
W MOUNTAIN AVE MAX CSU to South Transit Center
MAX Station
wM SERRYST I wl EPA ( MAX Stop
Transit Center
W LAU tEL ST
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6
• MasonfIrridor Project •
Key Milestones &Decision Points
Topic Timeframe Actions
1.Mason Corridor Master Plan Approved by Council approved vision plan for Mason trail&BRT improvements.
Council October 2000
2. City's Master Transportation Plan,
including Mason Project,Approved by City 1997&2004 Mason trail&BRT elements included in City-wide TMP and Capital Improvement
Council Program list approved by Council.
3. Mason Trail Project—Phase 1 (connection
from Fossil Creek trail to Spring Creek trail) September 2006 Mason trail—phase 1 complete
completed using BCC, CDOT,&GOCO
funding
4. Council Updates March 28,2006
February 13, 2007 Several City Council worksessions were held over the last 1 '/z years regarding
April 24,2007(TOD) Mason Corridor project.
April 27,2007
(written) Council approved Mason Corridor TOD Overlay Zone District
June 19,2007 TOD
5. Economic Generator Study March—September Initial results July 2007 and final report by Oct/Nov '07.
2007 Report will be shared with City Council in Oct/Nov
6. Mason Trail Project—Remaining Phases: A. Complete design of Trail extension and Crossing at NRRC/Whole Foods by end
2007-2009 of 2007. Construction planned in 2008.
A. Crossing @ NRRC/Whole Foods;
B. Crossing @ Troutman; B.& C. Take funding contracts to City Council for Crossing @ Troutman and for
C. Trail extension from Spring Creek construction of Trail extension by December 2007.
Trail to CSU. Trail matching dollars will be provided via 2008 & 09 BOB
These Mason Trail elements funded via City Ped Plan and Bike Plan funds.
&CDOT dollars.
7
7. MAX Bus Rapid Transit—Senate Bill 1
Funded Portion:
A. MAX Phase 1 (Downtown to CSU) State contracting A. & B. Sent funding letter to CDOT to initiate contract process—July 2007
South Transit Center process: Anticipate contracts drafted by CDOT and ready for City Council action by
Sept-Dec 2007 December 2007
Project design& Project design: 2008
construction: Project construction: 2009-10
2008-2010
MAX Phase 1 & STC
Operational: operational: end of 2010
End of 2010
Determine O&M costs/strategies:
Fall 2007 to 2010
8. MAX Bus Rapid Transit Submitted application Submitted Small Starts report to FTA July 27,2007
Full System Improvements(Downtown to to FTA July 30,2007
South Transit Center) Submit draft Environmental Assessment document to FTA Sept 2007
FTA Review
Aug—Nov 2007 Respond to FTA questions/comments -Aug—Nov 2007
Congressional Work with Congressional Delegation&Local Leaders
Outreach Process Aug 07—Feb 08
Aug 2007—Feb 2008
Determine O&M costs& strategies—approval by City Council required:
Mid-2007 -2010
Federal funding
contracting process: Contracting process with FTA—approval by City Council required
Mar—July 2008 Mar—July 2008
Design/Eng/ROW: Design/Engineering/ROW:
2009—2009 2008 -2009
Solidify BNSF agreement
Construction: 2008 -09
2009-2010
Construction:
Operational: 2009 -2010
End of 2010 Operational:
End of 2010
6 9 ��M� � I
iA
City of Fort Collins
Memorandum
To : City Council
From : Mark Jackson, Acting Transportation Manager
Rick Richter, Interim City Engineer
Erika Keeton, Interim Pavement Management Program Manager
Thru : Darin Atteberry, City Manager
Date : September 19, 2007
Re : Technical Review of the Pavement Management System
The Pavement Management Program is one of the largest programs in the City. Full funding for the program
has been an issue for many years, including decisions to not fully fund the program in several recent budget
cycles. During the 2007 budget process, staff committed to commission a study of the Pavement Management
Program to verify that the program is providing the most efficient services to the citizens. The purpose of the
study was to examine the City' s pavement management practices, and provide appropriate recommendations
regarding funding and maintenance techniques.
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. (APTech) was contracted by the City of Fort Collins to perform an
independent technical review of the City' s pavement management practices. On September 121h, APTech
presented their findings to City management. Key findings included:
• Fort Collins' pavement management practices are ranked among the most successful across the
country.
• The software used for data collection and analysis is state-of-the-art, internationally recognized, and
provides project and treatment recommendations that make the most cost-effective use of available
funds.
• Pavement management information is effectively integrated into decisions about realistic and
implementable treatment strategies.
APTech provided some key recommendations for how to improve our pavement management practices. These
include:
• Change the focus from a targeted average condition value of 75 to a specified Level of Service (LOS),
which allows for more flexibility when reacting to budget constraints.
• Designate separate LOS targets for arterial, collector and residential streets resulting in potential cost
savings if lower targets are set for residential and collector streets as compared to arterials.
September 19, 2007
• Investigate linking the CityWorks program and the Deighton software to improve pavement
maintenance activities, coordination with Streets and Traffic operations, and access to associated cost
information.
• Perform multiple impact analysis runs in-house using the Deighton software, instead of hiring a
consultant.
• Expand the crack filling program to further extend pavement life.
• Differentiate between funds spent on maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction treatments in
order to determine an appropriate split of funds for each type of work.
The following table was also included in the report, and reflects a cost comparison to four comparable cities
with successful pavement management programs.
City Population Days per year with Paved Lane Miles Road Rehabilitation
freezing or snow in jurisdiction Expenditures per
conditions Lane Mile
Oakland, CA 411 ,600 0 2295 $2656
Vancouver, WA 1545800 35 1713 $2293
Fort Collins, CO* 13%908 149 1742 $2997
Westminster, CO 108,351 155 1025 $2978
Denver, CO 57%744 164 5665 $2599
APTech' s report states: "The City of Fort Collins ' cost to conduct road maintenance and rehabilitation is very
much in line with the costs expended by other agencies. The cost of rehabilitation in the milder climate cities of
Oakland and Vancouver is slightly lower than Fort Collins, which is to be expected given the difference in
number of freezing or snow condition days. Especially reassuring is the comparativeness of the City of Fort
Collins' costs to those reported by Westminster as the networks are in the same environment and very similar in
size. Another consideration is that the costs reported here for the City of Fort Collins are based on 2006 data
while 2005 data were used for the other Cities. It is expected that costs would be higher for the CFC given the
recent yearly increases in asphalt material costs (20 to 30 percent increases)."
Not only has this report validated the processes currently in place, but the Pavement Management group
welcomes the recommendations made by APTech. The division is comfortable applying these
recommendations to the program, and will be following up with a memorandum outlining the implementation
plan.
2
September 19, 2007
Current Budget Situation
The Level of Service (LOS) concept recommended in the report provides more flexibility compared to the
previous method of a specific target average pavement condition (75), as the LOS B range is 70-85 . Setting a
level of service allows the City to a assess and balance the range of funding needs with the funding level that
best suits the needs of the City. The following chart was generated to illustrate the current budget situation.
Average Pavement Condition Over Time
80
—*-- Current Offer
78
—*-- Current Offer Plus
$4.1 M in 2010
76
LOS B (Target LOS)
c 74
C
O
U 72
c
d
d
LEVEL OF SERVICE
a 70 LOS A 85 -100
LOS B 70 - 85
68 TARGETLOS
LOSC 55 - 70 LOS C.
LOS D 40 - 55
LOSF 0 - 40
66
64
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year 'Budgets are inflated 6.5% annually
The "Current Offer" line represents the current recommended budget which provides $8 .7 million in 2008 and
$8.9 million in 2009. The budget trend line assumes an annual increase of 6.5% beginning in 2010. Even with
increased funding each year, the network condition continues to decline.
The "Current Offer Plus $4. 1 Million" line represents the "Current Offer" described above, with an overall
budget of $ 13 .5 million in 2010 ($4. 1 million above the base offer in 2010). The $ 13 .5 million increases by
6.5% in 2011 , and continually increases by 6.5% each subsequent year. Again the trend continues downward for
several years, but recovers in 2015 and maintains the targeted LOS B.
3
September 19, 2007
Currently only 2% of the City road network is functioning at a Level of Service D or F. These are failing roads
that cannot be salvaged by maintenance operations, and will require complete reconstruction. Continuing with
the "Current Offer" scenario, the chart below shows 45% of the network is projected to be in failing condition
by 2017. This is a substantial increase that will be noticed by the public.
Condition Distribution - Current Offer
■ Very Poor p Poor ■ Fair ■ Good ■ Excellent
100 % 0000 � 179 1 1 F]
LOSA - BEST
Minimal visible deterioration
Low maintenance costs
80 %
98 % LOS = - GOOD 55 %
Some minor cracking
& patching
60 % Crack seal , slurry seal ,
& overlay treatments
Low to medium maintenan osts
0
w
v
J
40 % LOS C - FAIR
Frequent cracking
& structural failures
High maintenance costs
20 % 45 %
LOS D & F - WORST
Needs reconstruction
Highest maintenance costs
0 %
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year
4
September 19, 2007
Any number of possible budget scenarios can be created in order to forecast the resulting conditions over time.
The following chart represents the "Current Offer Plus $4. 1 Million" scenario. Notice the percent of failing
streets in 2017 could potentially be 34%, instead of 45% (based on the "Current Offer" or existing level of
funding).
Condition Distribution - Current Offer Plus $ 4 . 1 Million in 2010
■ Very Poor ❑ Poor ■ Fair ■ Good p Excellent
100 % MIN
LOS A - BEST
Minimal Visible Deterioration
Low Maintenance Costs
80 %
98 %
66%
60 %
w - -
0
w
v
� LOS C - FAIR
40 % Frequent cracking
& structural failures
High maintenance costs
20 %
LOS D & F - WORST
Needs reconstruction
H k L L L ighest maintenance costs
0 %
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Year
The current funding level of $8 .7 million in 2008 and $8.9 million in 2009 is included in the Recommended
2008-2009 Budget. The data from the consultants report indicates that, if the City maintains the current level of
funding, the program will fall behind the goal of keeping the majority of our streets at Levels of Service A, B
and C. Properly funding the program is something will become a significant budget issue for the 2010-2011
budget cycle and beyond. The City should consider increasing the funding levels to avoid the significant cost
increases associated with further deferred maintenance of the street system.
In conclusion, the report from APTech validates that the City of Fort Collins is using industry Best Practices,
the software and the processes used are technically sound, and the need for increased funding to maintain the
street system at the desired level is justified. If the City continues on the current funding track, the overall
condition of the pavements will decline, thus reducing the level of service provided to the citizens of Fort
Collins.
5
• Memorandum
City of Fort Collins
TMayor Hutchinson and City Council Members
Thru: Darin Atteberry, City Manager
From: Mike Freeman, Interim Chief Financial Officer
Chuck Seest, Finance Director
RE: General Fund Reserves Overview
Date: September 19, 2007
Staff has been working with the City Council Finance Committee to review the City's
fund reserves and related policies and approaches. The conversation thus far has focused
mainly on the General Fund and the recommendation to use reserves to bridge the budget
gap from 2008 and 2009 fiscal years until revenues are expected to improve in 2010 and
2011. At its April 2007 retreat, Council concurred with the use of strategic reserves over
the budget years of2008 and 2009. Approximately$1.5 million is anticipated to be used
• in each budget year for a total planned use of reserves of$3 million. Attached is a
summary of the General Fund reserves as of year end, 2006.
The attached summary shows four general categories for reserves. They include:
Reserve Balances Not Available for Appropriation:
This category includes funds that need to appear on the reserve statement but are
not "liquid" or available for City Council appropriation. Examples of these kinds
of reserves include funds that are encumbered and carried forward to pay for work
(capital projects, etc)that is under contract,but not completed and closed out in
the prior fiscal year.
Available for Appropriation but With Restrictions:
This category includes funds that have legal restrictions. These funds can be
appropriated, but only for specific purposes. Examples of these kinds of reserves
include requirements under state law to designate funds for emergencies, and
funds that have been donated to the City for particular purposes such as
supporting the natural areas programs.
Long Range Designations:
This category includes funds that are designated for a purpose,but that purpose
can be changed through the appropriation process. These funds could be re-
directed but would have an impact on planned programs or, in the case of the
• Financial Uncertainty Reserve,would have to be replenished if used. The
City Council Members
September 19, 2007
Page 2
Financial Uncertainty Reserve level is set by City Council policy. The current
policy call for a reserve equal to 3.5%of General Fund expenditures.
Current Designations: Available for Appropriation:
This category of reserves generally has no restrictions— although there are
"planned" expenditures of funds from this category, mostly for asset replacement
for technology, fleet, and facilities.
When evaluating the overall state of the City's General Fund reserves, it is important to
understand the amount of funds available for appropriation related to economic
downturns, emergencies, natural disasters, etc. Reserves that would be available for these
purposes available at the end of 2006 include:
Reserved for Emergencies $3,774,789
Financial Uncertainty $3,298,944
Current Designations—Available $18,742,766
Total $25,816,499
Regarding how much "liquid"reserves are available, i.e. not restricted, this is a
somewhat different number. It is unlikely that funds would be appropriated from
reserves designated for Capital Projects unless there was an emergency need for these
funds. The Capital Project reserve is in place to complete projects already underway,but
not yet completed. Likewise, it is unlikely that funds would be allocated from the
Designated for Financial Uncertainty Reserve— although the City Council could do that in
an emergency. The City's liquid reserves at the end of 2006 include:
Designated for Financial Uncertainty $3,298,944
Designated for Capital Projects $3,973,972
Designated for Contingencies—Undesignated $18,742,766
Total $26,015,682
Staff is continuing to refine how reserves are designated, with a goal establishing two
categories of reserves, "Available for Appropriation with Restrictions"and "Available
for Appropriation"to better communicate the City's reserves and reserve policies. It is
the staff s goal to implement a simpler reserve statement accompanying the close of the
2007 fiscal year.
City Council Members
September 19, 2007
• Page 3
General Fund Reserves — End of Year 2006
2005 2006
Reserved for Encumbrances (outstanding purchase orders) $ 8,209,092 6,833,630
Reserved for Inventories/Long term loans (non-liquid) 1,780,979 3,026,474
NOT Available for Appropriation 9,990,071 9,860,104
Reserved for Revenue in Excess TABOR 2,271,153 -
Reserved for Emergencies 3,603,163 3,774,789
Reserved Lodging Taxes 738,635 904,619
Other Reserves (Contracts, Donations, Grants) 1,411,855 2,449,391
Available for Appropriation but with RESTRICTIONS 8,024,806 7,128,799
Designated for Financial Uncertainty 3,234,721 3,298,944
Designated for Capital Projects 4,722,930 3,973,972
Long Range Designations: Available for Appropriation 7,957,651 7,272,916
•ignated for IT Asset Replacement - 1,500,000
Designated for Equipment Replacement - 2,350,000
Designated for Facilities Maint. & Repairs 681,886 2,350,000
Designated for Savings Incentive/Equip Repl 5,870,169 -
Designated for Transportation Capital 1,435,000 271,746
Designated for Economic Vitality 288,957 297,829
Designated for Equipment Loans 200,000 -
Designated for Affordable Housing 79,185 -
Designated for Contingencies (undesignated) 2,869,076 11,973,191
Current Designations: Available for Appropriation 11,424,273 18,742,766
Total Available for Appropriation (without restrictions) 19,381,924 26,015,681
Total Fund Balance $ 37,396,801 $ 43,004,584
•
Utilities
electric stormwater • wastewater • water
City of Fort Collins MEMORANDUM
Date: September 18, 2007
To: Mayor and City Council Members
�
Thru: Darin Atteberry, City Manager td 4-
Brian Janonis, Interim Utilities General Manage
B VVV
From: Terri Bryant, CPA, Utilities Finance and Budget Manager
Re: 2008-2009 proposed Utilities rates and fees increases
Fort Collins Utilities 2008-2009 budget includes proposed increases to the electric and
wastewater rates, changes to plant investment fees and increases to electric development
fees and charges.
Plant Investment Fees and Electric Development Fees
City Council adopted revised water, wastewater and stormwater plant investment fees and
• electric development fees and charges as part of the 2006-2007 budget process. Prior to
that, plant investment fees (PIFs)had not been updated since 1998. Council directed staff
to review the PIFs on an annual basis and update concurrently with the biennial budget.
Electric development fees and charges are updated annually. Staff has revised and
updated the development fees for implementation January 2008.
Proposed water PIFs decrease slightly for the residential class due to a reduction in
average usage and remain unchanged for the multi-family class. Non-residential
increases are based on meter size as follows:
■ '/4 inch - 5.0%
1 inch - 6.7%
• 1 '/2 inch - 7.5%
■ 2 inch - 6.0%
■ 3 inch - 16.2%
Proposed wastewater PIFs increase for all customer classes to implement the third phase
of the adopted three-year phase-in plan and to update the fees. Residential wastewater
PIFs increase 44%, of which 27% is due to the phase-in plan. Multi-family increases
31%, of which 24% is due to the phase-in. Non-residential increases are based on meter
sizes as follows:
■ 3/a inch - 31%
1 inch - 35%
• 1 % inch - 29%
2 inch - 31%
■ 3 inch - 50%
700 Wood St. • PO. Box 580 • Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 • (970) 221-6700 • FAX (970) 221-6619 • TDD (970) 224-6003
e-mail: utilities@fcgov.com • www.fcgov.com/utilities
Due to the changes in stormwater planning philosophy adopting the Stormwater Master \
Plan defining a city-wide basin plan, the proposed stormwater PIFs are uniform J
throughout the city. Stormwater PIFs are planned to increase 44% in 2008. The
significant increase is due to the large investments in infrastructure made over the last
few years.
The Utilities reviews the cost of materials and labor and changes in system design on an
annual basis and revises the electric development fees accordingly. In 2008, the proposed
adjustments total 12% for residential construction and 20% for commercial development.
The increases are due to the large cost increase for transformers, metals and other
materials. The fees recover the Utilities cost of installing the electric system within a
development and a proportional share of the off-site electric system serving the
development.
The total cost for a typical single family residence (8,600 square foot lot, 70 foot ROW
frontage, 150 amp service) for raw water, water, wastewater, and stormwater PIFS and
electric development fees will increase from $14,413 to $15,843 or$1,430, 10%.
Monthly Rate Increases
Electric
The Utilities is proposing an electric rate increase averaging 2.3% in 2008 and 2.7% in
2009. The rate increase is due to the increases projected by Platte River Power Authority,
the City's wholesale energy supplier. Platte River is projecting rate increases of 3% in
2008 and 3.7% in 2009. Platte River's Board will not act on the rates until October so
these projections are still estimates at this time. Platte River's proposed increase is due to
several factors:
■ Increased coal and rail costs at Rawhide and Craig power plants
• Increased purchased power costs from WAPA
• Mercury mitigation costs
• Expanded energy efficiency programs (1% of revenues per PR's 2007
Integrated Resource Plan)
■ Capital expenditure increases (new projects & increased material costs for
existing projects)
• Reduction in surplus sales revenues
The increase to the retail rate is approximately 30% less than the wholesale rate because
the Utilities are absorbing any increases in operations, maintenance and administrative
costs.
Fort Collins' electric rates are among the lowest in the state and the country. A January
2007 survey by the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities places our residential
rates at the fifth lowest of 51 Colorado utilities. Commercial and industrial rates are also
in the lower quartile of the survey. Since 1990, when rates were reduced 3%, electric
rates have increased only four times:
• 1993 + 7.40%
■ 2001 + 2.00%
• 2004 + 5.30% (included 2%to meet the goals of the Energy Supply Policy)
• 2005 + 4.35%.
2
• The proposed increase in 2008 will vary slightly by rate class. Residential rates will
increase 2.0%-2.2%, commercial rates will increase 2.2%-2.3% and industrial rates will
increase approximately 2.6%. For a typical residential customer using 700 kilowatt-hours
per month, the monthly bill will increase 96 cents per month, from $48.43 to $49.40. Six
cents of this increase is paid to the General Fund for payments in lieu of taxes(PILOTS).
Wastewater
Staff is proposing wastewater rate increases in the 2008-2009 budget. The increases are
necessary to fund required improvements at the Mulberry Treatment Facility.
The Mulberry plant was built in 1946 with upgrades in 1958 and 1972. In the past
two years, the performance of the plant's 60-year old trickling filter (which provides
first-stage secondary treatment for the plant flow) has degraded several times
requiring it to be taken off-line, cleaned and restarted. Failure of the trickling filter
creates a significant increase in odors until it has been cleaned. Even after restarting,
the trickling filtei s effectiveness has not recovered to its past efficiency. In late 2006,
a study by MWH Consulting Engineers was commissioned to determine the best
solution for the long-term use of the Mulberry plant. Upgrading the plant's secondary
treatment processes by removing the trickling filter and its associated facilities, as
well as installing a new aeration basin and associated facilities, is the most cost-
effective solution. Because the trickling filter is already recommended for
replacement, odor control improvements will also take place. Upgrading the facility
• will also allow the Utilities to prepare for future regulation-based improvements. The
improvements, including design and construction, are projected to cost $31.8 million.
The proposed monthly wastewater rate increase is 12% in 2008 and 1 I% in 2009, across
the board. For a single-family customer, based on 5,200 winter quarter average (WQA),
the monthly bill will increase $2.37, from $19.70 to $22.07 in 2008, and $2.33, from
$22.07 to $24.40 in 2009. Increases to wastewater rates are currently planned at 8%in
2010 and 7% in 2011 to maintain reserve requirements and meet debt service payments.
Water and Stormwater
No rate changes are anticipated for the Stonmwater Utility in 2008 or 2009.
The draft Water Conservation Plan which includes adding programs that are not included
in the recommended 2008-2009 Water Utilities conservation budget, will be presented to
the Water Board for review at the September 27 meeting. Following the Water Board's
initial review, there is a required 60-day public comment period and a follow-up review
by the Water Board. The proposed Water Conservation Plan will be presented for
adoption by City Council in late December 2007 or early January 2008. If Council adopts
the plan, including the proposed additional programs, water rates are projected to increase
by a minimum of I% in 2009 to cover the added costs of the programs.
• *A history of the rate changes for all Utilities are attached including the impact on a
typical residential customer.
3
Fort Collins Utilities Rate History History of Monthly Charges
for Single Family Customers
Year Electric Water Wastewater Stormwater (Total Elect, Wtr, WW, SW)
1990 -3.0% 7.2% 6.0% 0.0% Typical %
1991 0.0% 5.1% 9.5% 5.0% Year Total Increase
1992 0.0% 6.0% 6.0% 5.0% Utilities Bill
1993 7.4% 5.0% 6.0% 8.0% ($!mo)
1994 0.0% 0.0% 6.0% 8.0%
1995 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1981 $53.06 25.3%
1996 0.0% 4.0% 3.0% 0.0% 1982 $62.08 17.6%
1997 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1983 $70.72 13.9%
1998 0.0% 6.0% 2.0% 21.0% 1984 $68.26 -3.5%
1999 M% 6.0% 2.0% 0.0% 1985 $70.37 3.1%
2000 0.0% 6.0% 2.0% 10.0%
2001 2.0% 6.0% 2.0% 9.3% 1986 $72.45 3.0%
2002 0.0% 6.0% 2.0% 45.0% 1987 $72.51 0.1%
2003 0.0% 6% 2.0% 10.0% 1988 $73.20 1.0%
2004 5.3% 0% 5.0% 10.0% 1989 $73.99 1.1%
2005 4.3% 0.0% 5.0% 0.0% 1990 $75.31 1.8%
2006 0.0% 0% 5.0% 0.0%
2007 0.0% 3.0% 5.0% 0.0% 1991 $74.77 -0.7%
1992 $76.93 2.9%
1993 $82.34 7.0%
Cost of Utilities Compared with Inflation 1994 $83.40 1.3%
(Typical ResideMialCustomer) 1995 $83.74 0.4%
j 1996 $84.97 1.5%
$140 -. ---- -- __ _.- __-_ - 1997 $84.09 -1.0%
$120 _ _._- _.__ _- -- _. ____ 1998 $86.88 3.3%
$100 _ 1999 $88.60 2.0%
$80 NONNI 2000 $90.92 2.6%
$60
2001 $94.54 4.0%
$ 2002 $100.15 5.9%
$20 0 2003 $105.80 5.6%
$0 2004 $110.00 4.0%
m wr m m m rn rn m o 0 0 0 2005 $112.71 2.5%
m rn rn m m m rn rn o 0 0 0
L ®Total lRilty Bitl Inflation(CPI-ln 2006 $114.00 1.1%
- --- ------- 2007 $115.94 1.7%
Technical Review
of the City of Fort Collins
Pavement Management System
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Submitted To : LALKELs
City of Fort Collins
City Hall West
300 LaPorte Avenue
Fort Collins , CO
Phone : 970-221 -6505
Submitted By :
Applied Pavement Technology , Inc .
115 W . Main Street , Suite 400
Urbana , IL 61801
Phone : 217 . 398 . 3977
Fax : 217 . 398 . 4027
Pwww . pavementsolutions . com
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
Pavement management systems are effective tools to help transportation agency decision-makers
evaluate the impacts of various investment levels and pavement preservation strategies on an
agency' s pavement network. The City of Fort Collins, Colorado (CFC) has been using pavement
management tools for nearly 20 years . Since the initial implementation activities in the late
1980s, pavement management has evolved into a tool that is used effectively to generate
citywide pavement condition reports, to provide recommendations for the pavement project and
treatment selection process, and to determine the needed budgets for meeting targeted conditions .
In 2007 , the CFC contracted with Applied Pavement Technology, Inc . (APTech), to conduct an
independent technical review of the Department' s pavement management practices as a
benchmarking activity. The findings are detailed in the Final Report for the project and
highlighted in this Executive Summary.
Findings and Observations
Pavement management supports an agency ' s decision processes at three levels : the strategic,
network, and project levels. Information flows between the strategic, network, and project
decision levels and pavement management information is used to support decisions at each of
these levels . Therefore, the technical review addresses the ability to use CFC ' s pavement
management information to support decisions at each of these levels . The reliability,
reasonableness, and cost-effectiveness of the pavement management recommendations and
overall activities were also assessed. The areas investigated under this contract include the
following :
• Strategic-level management.
Strategic policy.
• Network-level management.
— Data collection activities .
— Pavement condition reporting.
— Pavement prediction modeling.
— Treatment rules and costs .
— Work plan development.
• Project-level management.
Project selection process .
Feedback.
• Other management topics .
Documentation.
Integration.
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. ES- 1
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
The Final Report includes a brief summary of observations within each technical area to
document current Departmental practices . The project team conducted interviews with selected
CFC staff, including representatives from City Management, Transportation Planning, Pavement
Management, Finance, and Streets, to learn more about practices in each area and interactions
with pavement management. The observations made by the review team are based on the
interviews and the documentation provided by the CFC . Each section then concludes with
suggested recommendations for improvements to enhance the CFC ' s existing pavement
management capabilities. The recommendations that are included in the report are summarized
in the next section of the Executive Summary.
The technical review of the CFC ' s pavement management activities was conducted by Applied
Pavement Technology, Inc . (APTech), a civil engineering firm that specializes in pavement
management and other forms of pavement engineering. The following findings and observations
were made during the study :
• Overall, the CFC ' s pavement management activities can be ranked among other
municipalities in the country with successful pavement management programs . In fact,
the strength of the City ' s practices makes it a strong pavement management community.
The data collection activities that serve as the basis for the pavement management
recommendations are representative of the state of the art. The pavement management
software used by the CFC is an internationally recognized software program that provides
the Department a great deal of analytical flexibility. The pavement performance and
treatment selection models incorporated into the pavement management software follow
accepted pavement management practices. There are some minor areas of improvement
that will allow the agency to enhance its capabilities and potentially operate in a more
cost-effective manner. The primary changes needed are discussed in the
recommendations section of this summary.
• One of the most positive aspects of CFC ' s pavement management activities is the degree
to which pavement management information is integrated into the agency' s decision-
making process . The ability to incorporate over 75 percent of recommended projects into
the City' s work plan is a tremendous example of the strength of the system in providing
realistic and implementable treatment strategies . Further, the link of pavement
management information to GIS has provided tremendous benefit to all in the City as
information is easily shared between Departments. The Pavement Management Group
has also been very progressive in incorporating preventive maintenance treatments into
project selection and planning. This has enabled the City to continue to operate in a cost-
effective pavement preservation mode .
• As pavement management continues to evolve at CFC, there will undoubtedly be
available enhancements to improve the reliability of the pavement management
information and to better integrate available information into the decision-making
process . Nationally, agencies are focusing on providing total asset management which
includes managing all components of the City' s network including pavements, curb and
gutter, sidewalks, traffic signals and signage, sewers, etc, with a holistic approach. The
CFC has many parts of the necessary management pieces in place to set targeted levels of
service for a broader group of assets .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
Recommendations
Four technical categories with a total of eleven technical subsets were investigated as part of the
technical review and each is addressed in more detail in the body of the report. The
documentation on each technical area is divided into two subsections . First, a brief summary of
observations based upon interviews and available documentation are noted. Then,
recommendations for improvement are provided and classified into three categories. The
specific recommendations under each category are summarized below, along with a
recommended timeframe for implementation.
• Improving the efficiency or cost-effectiveness of the pavement management activities
(Category A).
• Improving the reliability or reasonableness of the pavement management activities
(Category B) .
• Improving the documentation or sharing of pavement management information (Category
C) .
Category A : Improving the Efficiency or Cost- Effectiveness of the Pavement
Management Activities
Recommendations for Immediate Implementation
• The City should consider changing its focus from specifying a targeted average condition
value to setting a specified level of service (LOS) .
• The Pavement Management Group should conduct an impact analysis to show the
budgets associated with providing a range of LOS for the street network. These analysis
results can provide City Council and City Managers with the information needed to set
strategic level condition targets for the City and determine what funding levels are
required to achieve a desired LOS .
• The City should consider the option of having separate targets for arterial, collector, and
residential streets.
• The City should consider extending the use of the Streets Department for the conduct of
milling, preparation, and paving.
• Given the many years of pavement performance data available to the CFC, performance
models could be updated on a three year cycle to reduce analysis dollars spent on this
exercise every year.
• In order for the desired multiple impact analysis runs to be handled in a cost-effective
manner, the Pavement Management Group is going to need to have the ability to do so
in-house .
• The CFC should consider evaluating the money spent on maintenance, rehabilitation, and
reconstruction treatments in order to determine an appropriate split of funds for each type
of work.
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. ES-3
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
• Continue to use City forces (e.g. Streets and Traffic) to conduct as much work as possible
for the Pavement Management Group and other City Departments.
• A committee should be formed to investigate the use of linking CityWorks and the
Deighton software to improve pavement maintenance activities .
Recommendations for Implementation in One to Two Years
• Given the large future increases expected in hot-mix asphalt prices, the City might
consider adding concrete treatments to the mix of design options.
• The CFC should consider the use of hot in-place recycling as a treatment on higher traffic
collector streets .
• Consider using one standard system such as Access, CityWorks or Accela to manage the
warranty projects throughout the agency.
Category B : Improving the Reliability or Reasonableness of the Pavement Management
Activities
Recommendations for Immediate Implementation
• The CFC should closely evaluate whether they need to populate all 11 indices .
• The CFC should continue to work to improve the Roughness Index.
• The CFC should consider removing the longitudinal cracking in the wheelpaths from the
Cracking Index calculation and incorporating it into the Alligator Cracking Index. With
the removal of the Longitudinal Wheel Path Cracking Index, the City could also consider
combining the transverse cracking and longitudinal cracking into one Cracking Index.
• Treatments such as inlay/mill/fabric and thin overlays are not used on the street network
and therefore should be considered for removal from the treatment list.
• Consideration should be given to discussing the importance of the maintenance
treatments (e. g. , cracking sealing, hot in-place recycling, and slurry seal) throughout all
literature created and presentations given by the Pavement Management Group .
• The CFC should evaluate if the 6 . 5 percent inflation rate being used is significant enough
to properly represent the increase in material prices they are seeing in Fort Collins .
Recommendations for Implementation in One to Two Years
• Quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) processes should be established to help
ensure the quality of the data collection activities performed by the data collection
contractor.
• The weightings associated with each distress type in calculating the PCI should be
reevaluated.
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. ES-4
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
• Consider using distress quantities to calculate deduct values to help remove confusion
regarding the units used to convert measured distress to extent percentages.
• Consider removing roughness from the Structural Adequacy Index or consider not
calculating this index at all as the Alligator Cracking Index seems to represent the
structural condition of the pavement.
• Consider expanding the crack filling program to include the use of crack sealing with
routing and preparation of the cracks prior to sealing especially on arterial streets with
working cracks .
• With potential changes being made to condition indices, treatment triggers will have to be
reevaluated to ensure that treatments are being triggered at the appropriate time .
• Consideration should be given to modifying the family performance models to include a
method of differentiating between pavements that have received different treatments or
treatment categories (maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction) for each functional
classification.
• While the Pavement Management Group indicated that they feel that 75 percent of the
recommended work from the Deighton software is being incorporated into the final work
plan, it would be beneficial to use the next project programming cycle to formally
determine a percentage correlation.
• The Pavement Management Group should consider conducting an analysis using the
pavement management data to document (through LCCA) that the pre-treatment repairs
are a cost effective way of increasing pavement life.
Category C : Improving the Documentation or Sharing of Pavement Management
Information
Recommendations for Immediate Implementation
• A minimum of two, 2-hour work sessions for City Council and City Managers should be
held each year to present important pavement management concepts and to discuss the
outcomes of the pavement condition surveys and the resulting LOS .
• The Pavement Management Group should document the City ' s pavement management
models, including data points used to create the models.
• The Pavement Management 101 Guide should be expanded to include an executive
summary that could be used to share general information about the pavement
management program with City Council, City Management, and residents .
• The Pavement Management 101 Guide should also be expanded to include information
on the performance models and setup of the pavement management system.
• The Pavement Management 101 Guide states on page 1 that the Deighton software "spits
out a preliminary list of streets and appropriate treatments for a given budget". It would
be more appropriate to use a statement similar to, "The Deighton software uses models to
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. ES-5
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
replicate pavement deterioration to determine when pavements are candidates for
maintenance and rehabilitation. "
• Within the City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Report, the surface type mileage
should be updated as the total mileage does not match other summaries of centerline
miles .
• When presenting condition information for the street network, consider reporting the
condition of the system based upon the percent of pavement area in each LOS category.
• The Pavement Management Guide should detail how the use of the City ' s Streets forces
has saved the Pavement Management Group a significant amount of construction costs.
• Instead of surveying only the residents involved in the pavement work for the year. The
survey should be expanded to include residents throughout the community to gauge
satisfaction with the condition of the overall City street network.
Recommendations for Implementation in One to Two Years
• The CFC should consider creating its own distress manual, which borrows details from
the Distress Identification Manual that better defines which distresses it would like rated.
• Yearly updates to the GIS are followed by updates to the GASB 34 statements and to the
pavement management system. This process occurs at the first part of the year and would
benefit from further synchronization.
With the completion of the recommendations included in this report, the pavement management
system will continue to provide the Department with increasingly reliable information on which
to base transportation infrastructure decisions.
Best Practices
Since agency decision processes change with time, and technological advancements influence
the manner in which data are collected, processed, and stored, it is important that an agency
periodically review its pavement management activities and benchmark these activities against
accepted best practices.
As explained within the report, it is difficult to define "best practice" pavement management as
agencies customize their policies and procedures to meet the needs of the organization.
Although "best practice" may be hard to define, it is not hard to recognize agencies with
"successful" pavement management systems and practices . A City with a successful pavement
management system can answer "yes" to the following questions.
• Does the pavement management software and the associated business processes meet the
needs of the organization?
• Are the results being used?
• Does the organization trust the results of the pavement management system?
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
In the report, case studies are presented from medium to large metropolitan areas where a
successful PMS has been institutionalized within the organization. Only "successful" PMS
implementations were selected, i. e . these cities are using the results of the PMS in some form,
despite difficulties that may still exist within their organization. These examples illustrate some
of the critical components of successful pavement management practices . The cities whose
practices were evaluated are shown below.
• City of Oakland, CA
• City of Vancouver, WA
• City of Westminster, CO
• City of Denver, CO
Each agency highlighted in the report, as well as the City of Fort Collins, is operating a
successful pavement management system using many "best practices" . Each organization
continues to enhance their existing capabilities as any successful system must evolve with time
to continue to reflect agency practices and policies . The CFC ' s practices are compared to "best
practices" in pavement management in figure ES- 1 .
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. ES-7
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review — Executive Summary June 2007
Figure ES- 1 . Comparison of City of Fort Collins to best practices .
City of Fort Collins Best Practice
Strategic-level
Strategic policies
Network-level
Data collection activities •
Pavement condition reporting
Pavement prediction modeling •
Treatment rules and costs • •
Work plan creation • •
Pro j ect-level
Project Selection •
•
Other Management Topics
Documentation � •
Integration
As shown in figure ES- 1 , the City of Fort Collins has a very successful pavement management
system. As with any organization there is still room for improvement but overall the City has the
right pieces in place to continue to cost-effectively manage the City ' s street network. The
primary focus of needed improvements is concentrated at the strategic-level. The
implementation of the recommendations from this study will bridge the gap to bring all areas of
the City ' s pavement management activities up to "best practices . "
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. ES-8
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
TECHNICAL REVIEW OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS PAVEMENT
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Introduction
The CFC ' s Pavement Management Group within the Department of Engineering is responsible
for the maintenance and rehabilitation of approximately 500 centerline miles of streets within the
City ' s boundary. According to the City, this asset represents an approximate replacement value
of $250 million. The CFC ' s businesses and citizens rely on the City staff and administrators to
provide a safe, smooth road network that assures good access to schools, homes, businesses, and
recreation activities. In an environment with limited available economic resources, it is
especially important that the CFC utilize the most cost-effective strategies for managing its street
network.
A pavement management system, which analyzes pavement condition and optimizes the use of
available funding, is one tool that can be used to provide the information necessary to assist in
making effective decisions regarding transportation infrastructure investment trade-offs . These
systems, which use pavement condition and inventory information in conjunction with pavement
analysis models, can be used to identify cost-effective strategies for preserving the pavement
network and to determine the level of funding required to support agency goals for targeted
levels of service . A pavement management system facilitates the evaluation of alternative
pavement preservation strategies, and the impact of these strategies on the future condition of the
pavement network can be estimated for various budget scenarios.
The CFC initially began using a pavement management system in the late 1980s . In 1997, the
City switched pavement management software to dTIMS , a pavement management system
licensed through Deighton and Associates, Ltd. (Deighton). The pavement management system
is used to support the agency ' s philosophy of preserving the current network at a condition level
in which the pavements receive the right treatment at the right time for the maximum benefit.
Currently, pavement condition information is collected on a 3 -year cycle (data collection on half
of the network the first 2 years of the cycle and one year of no data collection) and analyzed to
provide an estimate of the pavement condition index (PCI) for each pavement section along with
the overall condition of the pavement network. The dTIMS software is also used to generate a
list of recommended projects for maintenance and rehabilitation and as a tool for outcome-based
budget allocations .
To effectively analyze the impact of various preservation strategies and to develop project and
treatment recommendations that make the most cost-effective use of available funds, it is
imperative that the pavement management system reflect the agency ' s approach to decision-
making in terms of the types of treatments that are considered, the appropriate timing for
applying those treatments, and the types of variables that are considered in project selection.
Since agency decision processes change with time, and technological advancements influence
the manner in which data are collected, processed, and stored, it is important that an agency
periodically review its pavement management activities and benchmark these activities against
accepted best practices . To this end, the CFC contracted with Applied Pavement Technology,
Inc. (APTech) to conduct a technical review of the Department' s pavement management
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
activities . A summary of APTech' s experience in this area is provided in Appendix A of this
report. The remainder of this report provides the following information:
• Introduction to Pavement Management.
• Project Approach.
• Self-Assessment Survey Results .
• Technical Review Results .
• State of Practice.
• Summary.
Introduction to Pavement Management
As a means of utilizing sound business practices for managing a street network, a pavement
management system is implemented and used by City engineers as a tool for analyzing pavement
conditions and optimizing the use of available funding to effectively manage a street network.
This tool, the pavement management system, can be used to answer the following types of
questions :
• What is the existing condition of the street network?
• What is an acceptable condition goal and what level of funding is needed to obtain the
condition of the streets?
• How will the condition of the street network change with changes in funding levels?
• What maintenance and rehabilitation strategies have been most cost-effective on our
street network? Are there other strategies that the City should be considering?
• What investment levels should we be making in the street system? Should we be
investing more or less in residential roads? What level of investment is needed to support
the growth in the street network as new roadways are annexed into the City system?
How will funding be adjusted to account for the large increases that agencies are seeing
in material costs?
• What is the most economical way of maintaining the street network over time?
The answers to these types of questions lie in the ability of the agency' s pavement management
system to quickly evaluate the impacts of multiple funding scenarios on street conditions to
support the City ' s street maintenance and rehabilitation decisions. Pavement management
supports an agency ' s decision processes at three levels : the strategic, network, and project levels.
The flow of information between the strategic, network, and project decision levels and the
importance of pavement management to support decisions at each of these levels is shown in
figure I and is discussed in more detail in the following sections .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
City Council
City Managers
Directors
Strategic Level
Preservation Strategy
Committed Projects and Funding Level
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Decision Criteria I
Work Plan
Network Level Inventory ------ Analysis p. Development
Feedback
Potential
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PrbjecI W
Final Project
Project Level Selection Analysis Inventory
Figure 1 . Pavement management decision process .
Strategic-Level Management
At the strategic level, the general polices and the overall preservation strategy that will be used
by the agency are established. At this level of management, City Councils, City Managers, and
Directors make decisions that play a part in determining pavement performance targets,
establishing needed funding levels to achieve the performance targets, distributing funds for
various programs, and establishing a pavement preservation policy. When strategic level
decisions must be made, there is a direct need to be able to utilize the information from the
pavement management system. The individuals that are often making the decisions at the
strategic levels typically have little day-to-day interaction with the pavement management
system. They will need assistance in analyzing the pavement management data to acquire
information on various scenarios to make final strategic-level decisions .
The decision regarding the agency' s pavement preservation approach is also typically made at
the strategic level. The decision could be to fund a worst-first type strategy in which the
pavements in the worst condition are repaired first or to allocate funds to support preventive
maintenance programs in which the desire is to maintain pavements at a good condition for a
longer period of time . These decisions made at the strategic level will directly impact how the
maintenance and rehabilitation plans for the agency are developed and implemented. An agency
wanting a preventive maintenance program, for example, must use the outputs of the pavement
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
management system to provide decision-makers at the strategic level with pavement
management information that shows the benefits of a preservation philosophy. And, when the
program is in place, upper management must support the decisions of front-line staff who field
complaints from residents who do not understand the agency ' s preservation philosophy.
Network-Level Management
The decisions that are made at the strategic level can be supported using the information from
network-level pavement management analyses. For example, decisions regarding funding
allocation may be influenced by knowing how much funding has been available in the past and
the pavement conditions that resulted from those expenditures . Additionally, the pavement
management system can be used to illustrate the overall condition of the pavement network at
current and projected funding levels . Plots can be developed that compare the condition levels
achieved at the various funding scenarios for evaluation by managers, as shown in figure 2 . This
figure represents how three different funding levels might impact the overall condition of an
example pavement network.
100
90
K
80
70
O
60
p 50
U
40
30 —#,— Full Funding Level
20 —� Reduced Funding Level
a
10 No Funding
0
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Fiscal Year
Figure 2 . Three funding level scenarios for a sample pavement network.
The most common use of pavement management at the network level is to support the
development of work plans that outline general recommendations for the most cost-effective use
of the available funds. The network-level analysis is generally conducted over a multi-year
period and results in initial recommendations for the treatment that should be applied to each
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
section in the network over the analysis period. However, the recommendations from the
pavement management analysis should be considered preliminary and not the final list of work
activities . The initial recommendations provide general guidelines for the type of work that is
needed and possible locations where the work should be performed. However, the development
of final work plans is usually an iterative process that involves moving neighboring projects from
one year to another, or combining similar projects, to gain economy of scale. The work list is
further developed at the project level in order to identify final project work plans and treatment
designs.
In addition to developing general maintenance and rehabilitation recommendations, the network-
level analysis also provides the necessary information to determine general funding needs to
acquire a desired benefit (such as a condition level) as described at the strategic management
level . However, if a funding level is established at the strategic level, the network-level analysis
can provide information regarding the most cost-effective use of the funds .
Project- Level Management
At the project level, pavement management is very specific. During the network-level analysis,
treatments are proposed for the various sections in the network. However, at the project level
final treatment decisions are made for each section on which work was proposed. Detailed
information is needed to make these final decisions. The type of information that is needed at
this level might include a detailed condition survey or specialized testing that provides enough
information to decide on the final treatment type to select for each pavement section. Further
detailed traffic information is needed at this level. Without proper traffic information, improper
treatment selections may be made .
Project-level analysis generally requires more detailed data than network-level management.
This principle also applies to the need for more detailed cost analysis for project-level
management. The general cost estimates that are obtained at the network level are normally
based upon the cost of the treatment applied to the average area of the pavement section. At the
project level, more detail is needed on the area of the pavement section along with information
such as the cost of the traffic control, additional safety costs, geometric upgrades required (e .g.
alignment issues, site distance, and road widening), new signage or markings, and even
landscaping.
At the project level other factors that can not be programmed into the pavement management
system can be taken into consideration. For example, the pavement management system might
include a recommendation to perform work on a particular section, but construction limitations at
the site might prevent that treatment from being applied. On the other hand, the timing of the
proposed work might need to be adjusted to coincide with utility maintenance or upgrades .
At the project level, final decisions regarding which sections to apply work to might also
consider economies of scale . It is most cost-effective to use the same treatment on a significant
stretch of roadway in the same area to minimize the mobilization and start-up costs. Therefore,
final project selections are often influenced by coordinating work to occur at the same time for
multiple pavement management sections .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Project Approach
To assess the ability of the current pavement management practices to meet the needs within the
agency and coincide with best practices, APTech conducted a series of interviews over a 2-day
period. Representatives from City Management, Transportation Planning, Pavement
Management, Finance, and Streets participated in a series of interviews conducted on March
23 -24, 2007 in the City offices in Fort Collins . In addition to the on-site meetings, a conference
call was held on March 26 to finalize the interviews with individuals who were not available on
March 23 -24 . Each group of individuals was asked to describe their current interaction with the
pavement management information and to discuss issues relevant to their use of the pavement
management data. A summary of those involved in the interview process is provided in table 1 .
Table 1 . Interview participants .
Grou Re resented Individual Partici ants
City Management Darin Attebery
Diane Jones
Transportation Planning Mark Jackson
Pavement Management Rick Richter
Erika Keeton
Finance Mike Freeman
Steve En emoen
Streets Larry Schneider
Neal Jaspers
Prior to the interviews, a number of references were provided to APTech for review upon
initiation of the study. The documentation included a draft version of the CFC Pavement
Management 101 Report (created in April 2007) and the most recent pavement management
report Fort Collins Pavement Management Report created by Deighton. Also at the start of the
contract, APTech submitted a self-assessment questionnaire that provided the interview
participants with an opportunity to rate CFC ' s performance in the use of pavement management
tools for the planning and programming of maintenance and rehabilitation activities . In addition,
APTech submitted a series of questions to CFC to familiarize the interviewees with the types of
issues that would be discussed.
Using all the collected information, APTech reviewed CFC ' s practices in order to find
recommendations for technical and fiscal improvements. APTech also benchmarked CFC ' s
pavement management practices with those found in other municipal agencies. The
benchmarking activity is based on information obtained from similar City organizations through
information published by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and
available from selected municipalities . The CFC ' s practices were compared with the practices
observed in other municipalities and any significant discrepancies are reported in the section of
this report titled "State of Practice. " Recommendations for improvements to the pavement
management practices to meet current expectations are provided in the "Technical Review
Results" section of the report.
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Self-Assessment Survey Results
One of the steps in this technical review involved the conduct of a self-assessment survey by
agency personnel. The concept, which is adapted from the Transportation Asset Management
(TAM) field, provides agency personnel an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of its
pavement management system to support the agency in the areas of strategic and policy decision-
making, program development, information management, and analysis and reporting.
As one of the tools to assess an agency' s TAM practices, the asset management community
identified characteristics of best practice in four different technical areas, including the following
(AASHTO 2002) :
• Policy Goals and Objectives .
• Planning and Programming.
• Program Delivery.
• Information and Analysis.
For each of the technical areas, best practice was defined to enable agencies to benchmark their
existing practices to those defined as best practice . To further an agency' s efforts in this area, a
self-assessment survey was developed around each of the key TAM areas listed above . The
TAM survey was modified for use in the pavement management field by APTech. Although the
structure of the survey document is retained, the pavement management self-assessment survey
specifically addresses the use of the pavement management activities to support the four
technical areas listed earlier. The participants are asked to rate the extent to which they agree
with a series of declarative statements . A scale of 1 to 4 is used to indicate the level of
agreement with each statement, with a 4 indicating strong agreement with the statement and a 1
indicating strong disagreement. A value of 0 is also used to indicate when the respondent had no
response to the question, indicating a lack of knowledge regarding the specific topic . The results
of the survey are evaluated in terms of an average score, which included the use of 0 values in
the average, for each statement and the range of responses obtained. Specific areas of interest
include those statements where the assessments are in disagreement and those areas in which the
responses vary widely. Using these results, APTech is able to quickly identify areas in which the
pavement management activities may not be fully supporting the decision-making process based
on the opinions of the participating respondents . Since the number of individuals participating in
the survey is small, the survey results should not be considered statistically representative of the
views of all CFC personnel .
A copy of the survey document is included as Appendix B to this document. A summary of the
responses from the interview participants is provided as Appendix C . The summary shows the
number of responses received for each of the four ratings, the number of people who used a
value of 0 to indicate that they did not have a response for the question and the average rating for
each statement.
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Overall, the responses show a high degree of confidence in the use of the pavement management
system to support CFC ' s decision-making processes. General observations from the self-
assessment indicate the following :
• Among the interview participants, the highest levels of agreement correspond to
statements regarding the use of the pavement management system to support policy
decisions (Statements Al -A5), pavement preservation goals (Statements A6-A8),
identification of candidate projects and treatments (Statement B1 -B4) , project selection
(Statements B5 -B7), integration and access to data (Statements C6-C9) and the feedback
loop (Statements C10-C12). Each of these areas had an overall average score greater
than 3 . 0 for the group of statements provided. These high levels of agreement correlate
for the vast majority of the statements .
• The lowest level of agreement for the interview participants concerns the use of effective
and efficient data collection (Statement C1 -05), the allocation of resources for pavement
preservation (Statement A9-A10), and the use of the pavement management results
(Statement DI -D6) . Each of these areas had an average group score of 3 . 0 or less for the
statements .
• The interview candidates indicated that the lowest level of agreement concerned
information on customer perceptions of road conditions not being collected regularly
(Statement C3 ) . Through conversations with City personnel, it was learned that the City
conducts customer surveys of approximately 4, 500 households a year; however, the
results do not seem to be regularly shared with all individuals involved in this study. The
low level of agreement associated with this statement was due to the fact that 2 of the 5
respondents had no knowledge in regards to the use of surveys for customer perceptions .
Several other statements had low levels of agreement (values less than 3 . 0) again due to 2
of the 5 respondents having no knowledge of the statement (reporting zero values) .
These statements are the following :
— The City continually seeks to improve the efficiency of data collection activities
(Statement C4) .
— The City has implemented procedures to ensure the quality of the data collected
(Statement C5) .
— The City has established standards for geographic referencing that allow us to
bring together pavement information from different sources (Statement C8).
— The City uses pavement management tools to rank candidate projects for the
capital program (Statement D3 ) .
— The City uses pavement management tools to forecast future system performance
for different funding levels (Statement D5) .
— The City uses pavement management tools to forecast future system performance
for different treatment strategies (Statement D6) .
• Other areas that indicated lower levels of agreement (values less than 3 . 0) included policy
decisions regarding the appropriate balance of technical or other information (Statement
A4), improving policies by using enhancements in the pavement management system
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
(Statements A5 ) , and funding allocations for pavement preservation activities are based
on data supported by pavement management (Statement A9) .
The survey results show the majority of responses above a rating of 3 . 0, which is an indication of
strong agreement that the pavement management system is doing a good job at meeting best
practices . However, there were several noted areas in which those connected to the pavement
management process did not have knowledge of the current abilities of the pavement
management system. This indicates that there is more need for education and documentation
regarding the capabilities of the pavement management system and activities that take place
within the Pavement Management Group .
Technical Review
Using the results of the self-assessment survey and the documentation provided on the CFC
pavement management activities, a series of interviews were conducted to provide the basis for
an objective assessment of the City ' s pavement management activities and to develop
recommendations for changes that might improve the effectiveness of the pavement management
activities . The objective assessment and recommendations are based on APTech' s understanding
of the CFC pavement management system and knowledge of practice in other transportation
agencies .
The technical review addresses several specific areas that are important to the reliability,
reasonableness, and cost-effectiveness of the pavement management recommendations and
overall activities. The areas investigated under this contract include the following:
• Strategic-level management.
Strategic policy.
• Network-level management.
— Data collection activities .
— Pavement condition reporting.
— Pavement prediction modeling.
— Treatment rules and costs .
— Work plan development.
• Project-level management.
Project selection process .
Feedback.
• Other management topics .
Documentation.
Integration.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Each of these areas is addressed in more detail in the following sections of the report. Each
technical area is divided into two subsections . First, a brief summary is provided to review the
current Departmental practices in this technical area and observations from the interviews and
available documentation are noted. Then suggested recommendations for improvement are
provided. The recommendations provided in this report include suggestions for improving or
enhancing the existing capabilities at the CFC . The recommendations are categorized into one of
the three categories listed below :
• Improving the efficiency or cost-effectiveness of the pavement management activities
(Category A) .
• Improving the reliability or reasonableness of the pavement management activities
(Category B) .
• Improving the documentation or sharing of pavement management information (Category
C) .
In addition, each recommendation is ranked in terms of a recommended timeframe for its
implementation. The recommendations with the highest priority are identified as a priority 1 and
should be initiated as soon as possible. Recommendations that should be addressed within a I -
to 2-year timeframe are identified as a priority 2 .
Each recommendation in the report is labeled with a code that indicates the category it addresses
and the priority for implementation. For example, a recommendation that is labeled A2
corresponds to a recommendation that should be addressed within the next 1 to 2 years to
improve the efficiency or cost-effectiveness of the Department' s pavement management
activities .
There were no critical deficiencies to the system that were identified as a result of the technical
review. In fact, the CFC pavement management activities reflect a strong commitment to the
principles of pavement management and, as a result, are used extensively to determine network-
and project- level decisions . Recommendations for minor improvements to pavement
management are provided in the following sections.
Strategic-Level Management
At the strategic level, pavement management investment analyses can be used to provide the
information upper management needs to determine funding allocations for street maintenance
and rehabilitation activities . The existing pavement management system can be used to provide
a sophisticated investment analysis with integrated prediction models and treatment rules so that
different improvement scenarios can be generated and the forecasted conditions can be compared
to determine the most cost-effective strategy for maintaining the pavement asset.
Strategic Policy Observations
• When CFC ' s first pavement management system was implemented in 1989, a strategic-
level decision was made by the managers at that time to set a goal of achieving an
average network condition of 75 by 1994. This goal was in line with a desire to set the
pavement preservation policy to focus on "keeping good pavements in good condition."
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• Since 1994, the targeted average network condition of 75 has continued to be the
condition goal. Various personnel throughout the CFC are interested in knowing the
impact of changing the average condition target value since expected current funding
levels are not meeting the needs of the pavement network to maintain an average
condition of 75 .
• The strategic goals for the City' s pavement network are set for the network on a whole
instead of using separate condition goals for the arterial, collector and residential streets .
• City Managers would like to know that the City ' s pavement management system is
operating in a manner to support the City' s vision to create a world-class community that
in terms of both best operating practices and cost-effectiveness .
• The CFC is using a state of the art pavement management system provided by Deighton
to evaluate the most cost-effective strategy for managing the City ' s pavements. The
system has the tools needed to provide a data-driven process for the creation of proper
pavement management recommendations which can be shared with the City Council and
City Managers.
• City Managers and City Council members have exposure to general pavement
management concepts and have significant comfort with the system as the process is
"data driven" but do not have a thorough knowledge of the types of outputs and extensive
information available from the pavement management system.
• Approximately 9 million dollars of the City ' s annual budget goes into Pavement
Management. As the second highest funded City division, some individuals, including
those on City Council, view the division as a "black hole" of City funds .
Strategic Policy Recommendations
• Al : The current average network condition target of 75 represents a strong commitment
to supporting the preservation of the City ' s pavement network. While this is a very
positive goal, funding issues (e.g. , decreased sales tax revenue) are making it difficult to
dedicate the needed funds to reach this specific condition target. As a means of
combating this issue, it is recommended that the City consider changing its focus from
specifying a targeted average condition value to setting a specified level of service
(LOS) . Setting a LOS will allow for a range of funding needs to be determined to assess
what funding level best suits the needs of the City in terms of desired LOS and available
funding.
A LOS is a customer-driven measurement of condition. Various LOS can be defined by
an agency as a way of reporting current conditions . That way, the current LOS for an
asset (e.g. the pavement network) can be compared to the desired LOS to establish
funding level requirements . LOS ratings can also be used to inform management of
customer' s expectations and to report back to customers how their expectations are being
met.
LOS can be displayed in ways that are clear to decision-makers and the public through
the use of non-technical pictures and descriptions. Many agencies use a letter rating
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system (e. g. , A through F, with an A representing the highest rating) while some use a
numbering system to represent the various condition levels . For example, the Arizona
Department of Transportation (ADOT) uses a numbering system for five different levels
of service for pavements, ranging from condition 1 , a high level where pavements are in
perfect condition, to condition 5 , where pavements are in poor or impassable condition.
Figure 3 illustrates this ADOT example which was obtained from the ADOT publication,
Arizona Asset Accountability ( 1998) .
The condition descriptions can be supported by the pavement condition surveys
conducted by the Pavement Management group . For example, each LOS should be
linked back to the PCI surveys that are conducted regularly on the network. In addition
to providing descriptions associated with the engineering definitions, general descriptions
for non-technical individuals should also be created. Once these LOS are established,
current conditions can be reported and the desired level of quality for the pavement asset
can be discussed with City Council, City Managers, personnel, and residents . LOS
descriptions that could be adopted by the CFC for use with City Council, management,
and residents are provided below as an example (adapted from North Carolina 2000) :
LOS A (best) — This is a very high level of service in which pavements are in
excellent condition. Very few deficiencies are present, the roads are providing
excellent ride quality, very low vehicle operating costs, very little signs of
deterioration and therefore the appearance is very visually pleasing.
LOS B (good) — This is a high level of service in which pavements are in good
condition. Few deficiencies are present; the roads are providing good ride quality,
low vehicle operating costs, and minor signs of deterioration with few safety-
related issues . Preventive and corrective maintenance activities can be used to
keep the average network condition maintained.
LOS C (fair) — This is a fair service level in which the pavements are in average
condition. Moderate deficiencies are present, the roads are providing average ride
quality, moderate vehicle operating costs, and some structural deterioration begins
to appear along with increased safety concerns. A backlog of deficiencies begins
to build up that will have to be dealt with eventually at a higher cost.
LOS D (poor) — This is a low service level in which pavements are generally in
poor condition. Significant deficiencies are present, the roads are providing poor
ride quality, high vehicle operating costs, and moderate structural deterioration
that causes significant safety concerns . A moderate backlog of deficiencies exists
and continues to grow.
LOS F (worst) - This is a very low service level in which pavements are
generally in failing condition. Significant deficiencies are present, the roads are
providing very poor ride quality, excessive vehicle operating costs, and excessive
structural deterioration that causes extreme safety concerns . A significant
backlog of deficiencies exists and continues to grow excessively.
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Condition I * Like-new condition, excellent Condition 2 : Good condition, good ride
ride
_4L
Condition 3 : Fair condition, fair ride Condition 4 : Poor condition, poor ride
Condition 5: Impassable condition, very
rough ride
Figure 3 . Example LOS Condition Rating using a numbering scheme (ADOT 1998) .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
The LOS description could also contain information regarding a range of cost per lane
mile to maintain the network in each LOS category. A proposed level of service rating
scale for internal use by pavement management staff could be expanded to discuss the
distress types and/or amounts of distress present along with the pavement condition index
values associated with each LOS rating. Figure 4 provides an example of how the LOS
concept might be translated to the pavement condition index rating scale . The scale
represented in figure 4 should be adjusted to take into consideration any other system
changes that occur as part of this technical pavement management review as changes in
treatment triggers and index calculations will have a direct impact on the final pavement
condition ranges.
100
85
70
C
55
D
40
0
Figure 4. Proposed level of service rating scale.
In addition to setting the LOS that the agency would like to maintain on the City street
network, it is recommended that CFC adopt a second condition metric such as unfunded
backlog. The "unfunded backlog" is the "need" minus the amount of funding available
where "need" is defined as the amount of funding required to maintain the pavement
network at the level specified by the City. These values can be reported in terms of
money or in terms of the number of miles to be treated.
For instance, if the strategic LOS requires that the total maintenance and rehabilitation
activities will cost $ 5 M but only $4 . 5 M in funding is available, then the "needs" are
defined as $ 5 M and the unfunded backlog is $0 . 5 M. Alternatively, this can be reported
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
in terms of the number of miles needing maintenance or rehabilitation. With this
approach, CFC might report that it needs to repair 200 lane miles of streets, but can only
afford to repair 125 miles, so the deferred maintenance is 75 miles.
The use of two metrics will help provide a balance between providing a LOS for the
roadways while monitoring with time whether the amount of unfunded work on the street
network is growing or shrinking.
• Al : The City' s current pavement preservation focus of "keeping good pavements in good
condition" is in line with the overall goal of the City to provide a first class community.
Therefore, it is imperative to select a LOS for the pavement network that is in keeping
with the City ' s pavement preservation operating mode . Otherwise, the City is likely to
encounter higher operating costs while providing residents with a lower LOS .
Setting a lower LOS for the network not only decreases the condition of the pavement
network and thus provides less service to the residents but it also will increase the amount
of unfunded backlog which decreases the value of the pavement asset. This value is used
in the Governmental Accounting Board Standard (GASB) Statement 34 financial
statements filed by the City. Therefore, the impact of resetting the target condition/LOS
reported on the GASB 34 statement should be assessed prior to the selection of a new
pavement condition target.
Instead of focusing on the creation of the necessary budget scenario to maintain an
average condition level of 75 , the Pavement Management Group should conduct an
impact analysis to show the budgets associated with providing a range of LOS for the
street network. This can be accomplished through an iterative procedure in which the
pavement management system is used to summarize the amount of funding needed to
achieve the different performance measures . This feature will allow the Pavement
Management Group to provide City Council and City Managers with the variety of
information needed to set strategic level condition targets for the City.
This impact analysis can also be used in presenting various scenarios to those involved in
the City' s "Budgeting for Outcomes" initiative to determine realistic goals that take into
account the desired strategic condition level for the pavement network. The final result
of this work will provide City Council and City Managers with the opportunity to see
what funding levels are required to achieve a range of condition level as represented in
figure 5 .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
C DC+
rJ ^ .�
- ^� o
20
v) D4.
> 0 i
�^ c
.J I - I f-i
i I LL
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Fiscal Year
F Funding Needed to Maintain LOS B � Expected Funding
Condition at Funding Needed to Maintain LOS B Condition at Expected Funding
Figure 5 . Projected levels of service based on two possible funding levels .
• Al : As part of the process of setting targeted LOS and maximum unfunded backlogs for
the street network, the City should consider the option of having separate targets for
arterial, collector, and residential streets. There are potential cost savings to setting lower
condition targets for residential and collector streets as compared to arterials . The effect
of this strategy would have to be assessed using an impact analysis within the pavement
management system.
• C1 : A minimum of two, 2-hour work sessions for City Council and City Managers
should be held each year to present important pavement management concepts and to
discuss the outcomes of the pavement condition surveys and the resulting LOS . Also
results of an impact analysis can be used to show City Council members and City
Managers how increased or decreased funding levels affect the LOS and unfunded
backlog for the street network. When possible, these work sessions should be done in
proximity to the induction of new members to the City Council and prior to the "Budgets
for Outcomes" process. This timing will help to provide some continuity between the
Pavement Management group ' s impact analysis work and the budgeting process . The
types of questions to be discussed during the work sessions could include the following:
o What services does the Pavement Management Group provide?
o What is pavement management?
o What is the condition of our roadway network?
o What funding does the Pavement Management Group receive and how is that
funding distributed?
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
o What funding is needed to provide different LOS for the street network?
During the work session, the organizers might also consider taking the Council Members
and City Managers out on the road to show pavement sections at different LOS to
familiarize them with the concepts . In addition, a map of conditions across the City
should be given to each Council Member and City Manager. This will allow each
member to assess the condition of their neighborhood, which will help in personalizing
the process and making a connection between the service they are receiving on their road
and what overall service they would like to see for the entire City. A sample portion of
the LOS map for the City is shown in figure 6 .
Q Q
>- z EL
� Q
� � z
z O
z z 0
p Q
�w -- � MAPLE T � CZ �
Iz V
LU V w JU CT z
>
Q O z BU GALO CT
> <
z oOC 0% 2 J LU Q W MOU AIN A E
04
LU
Pavement Condition Q AKIN VE uj
�G z
Le,. el o- per. ice A O ,~ Q
(� /Ol �J J >
Level of Service B r nUL v Z
Level of Service C ( (� z
F a
Level of Service C
Level of Service F MYRTLE 5� � Q
v ,
Figure 6 . Sample portion of the LOS map .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Network- Level Management
At the network level, multi-year work programs are developed and analyzed to make the most
cost-effective use of the available funds across the entire pavement network. Of the various
pavement management levels, the network level is where the main components of the pavement
management system are established and managed. Observations and recommendations
regarding these components are discussed in the following sections .
Data Collection Activity Observations
The importance of the data collected to support pavement management can not be
underestimated. Virtually all of the recommendations produced by the pavement management
system are dependent on the current and projected pavement conditions . For this reason, it is
important that the data collected as part of the pavement management process be appropriate for
supporting the Department' s decision processes and that the quality of the data is as high as
possible. The general observations of the CFC data collection practices are summarized below:
• Data is collected for the entire City network on a 3 -year cycle by a reputable contractor
(Infrastructure Management Systems, [IMS] ) using automated equipment. In the first
year, one half of the network is surveyed and in the second year the other half of the
network is surveyed. During the third year of the cycle no data is collected.
The current 3 -year condition data collection cycle that is used by the CFC is a cycle used
by many agencies and there is no need to change the procedure. The use of two years on
and one year off allows the agency to reduce the mobilization cost for data collection.
While a one year data collection effort has the potential to further reduce mobilization
costs it does not allow enough time in the yearly pavement management process to
complete all activities if the entire network was to be collected and processed in one data
collection season. Often the mobilization cost is shared between Fort Collins and other
neighboring cities, which also results in cost savings .
• The Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program
(Distress Identification Manual) , which is an industry standard, is used by the vendors
hired by the CFC to analyze the distress data for the condition assessments of the street
network.
• The surveys are conducted in the most trafficked lane(s) with one lane surveyed on the
two lane streets and two lanes surveyed on the four lane roadways (one lane in each
direction) . With the collected data, which represents approximately 50 percent of the
pavement network, surveys are conducted over 100 percent of the collected pavement
area with distress collected at 0 . 1 -mile intervals. Given this process of collecting data,
the City is already benefiting from a reduced cost of collecting condition data as they are
not collecting and rating the entire width of every City street.
• Collected average conditions have fluctuated over time due to the fact that testing is
conducted on the west side of the City in one year versus the east side of the City in the
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
other year of the data collection cycle . This fluctuation is expected as the east side of the
City has more new development.
• Some quality control and quality assurance processes have been used in the past to check
the condition data collected by the vendor. Currently, there are no specific processes in
place to check the data collected and instead data are checked when problems occur.
Data Collection Activity Recommendations
• C2 : The Distress Identification Manual provides a consistent definition of pavement
distress. However, it incorporates some distress types such as wheel path longitudinal
cracking that should not be incorporated into the CFC ' s rating procedure as it causes
confusion between the rating of wheel path longitudinal cracking and low-severity
alligator cracking. Therefore, the CFC should consider creating its own distress manual,
which borrows details from the Distress Identification Manual that better defines which
distresses it would like rated. Also, the current guide provides pictures of actual
pavement sections in the field. The people conducting the ratings will not be viewing the
actual pavement sections since distress interpretation is conducted by viewing the digital
images of the pavement. Therefore it would be helpful for the CFC pavement
management staff to grab pictures of pavements from the digital image logs to pictorially
represent to the rater how the distress will appear.
• B2 : Quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) processes should be established to
help ensure the quality of the data collection activities performed by the data collection
contractor. The contractor should be responsible for performing calibration checks to
ensure that the equipment is operating appropriately. The CFC should also use their
newly available digital images of the pavement network to conduct QA checks of a
minimum of 5 percent of the data samples . The CFC should also consider using some
form of automated database checks (e . g. , database queries or a quality assurance
program) that would include the performance of logical checks (maximum amount of
distress possible, missing segments, and so on) and consistency checks (which include
completeness and reasonableness checks) . Field checks of the reasonableness of raw
condition data should also be conducted by City personnel on randomly selected sites
around the City.
Pavement Condition Reporting Observations
Each year the condition of network is assessed through surveys and/or the use of the pavement
management system to establish an overall PCI . As part of the calculation of the pavement
condition index, which is a value from 0 to 100 representing the overall condition of the
pavement, the CFC ' s Pavement Management Group obtains surface distresses, rutting and
roughness data. Some general observations about pavement condition reporting are provided :
• A total of I I indices are used by the City for treatment selection and condition reporting.
In comparison to what other agencies are using, this is a large number of indices .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
• The CFC Pavement Management Group are currently planning to improve the Roughness
Index to better reflect the performance of the City' s pavements the as it has not been
updated from the expert curve that was created with the initial implementation of the
Deighton software in 1997 .
• The Cracking Index is based on the mean value of the transverse cracking, longitudinal
cracking in the wheelpaths, and longitudinal cracking outside of the wheel paths indexes
minus one standard deviation. This calculation could result in a Cracking Index value
that is lower than all the other indexes .
• Alligator cracking is one of the most prevalent distress issues within the City, yet it only
counts towards 20 percent of the overall PCI value.
• The calculation of deduct values used to determine several of the indices : Cracking Index
(Transverse, Longitudinal, and Longitudinal Wheel Path Cracking Index), Alligator
Cracking Index, and the Patching Index all require the calculation of the percentage of
extent for each distress severity be calculated before translating to deduct values to
determine the associated index.
• Roughness contributes to half of the Structural Adequacy Index. However, it is not truly
an indicator of the structural condition of the pavement or the pavement' s ability to carry
vehicle loads .
Pavement Condition Reporting Recommendations
• B1 : The CFC should closely evaluate whether they need to populate all 11 indices . The
use of too many indices can cause ineffectiveness . Therefore, the CFC should consider
means of streamlining the number of indices it uses .
• B1 : The CFC should continue to work to improve the Roughness Index but should
understand the limits of being able to collect good International Roughness Index (IRI)
data in an urban setting under stop and go conditions . Therefore, consideration should be
given to reducing the impact of this measurement on treatment selections and its hefty
(30 percent) weight on the calculation of the PCI .
• B1 : The CFC should consider removing the longitudinal cracking in the wheelpaths from
the Cracking Index calculation and incorporating it into the Alligator Cracking Index.
This would result in the elimination of the Longitudinal Wheel Path Cracking Index.
Generally, any wheel path cracking is accepted as a structural distress. With the removal
of the Longitudinal Wheel Path Cracking Index, the City could also consider combining
the transverse cracking and longitudinal cracking into one Cracking Index.
• B2 : The weightings associated with each distress type in calculating the PCI should be
reevaluated. Specifically the weight of the Alligator Cracking Index should be evaluated
to determine if it should be increased. Changing such attributes will cause changes to the
overall condition of the pavement network so the repercussions of such activities must be
investigated prior to making any major changes .
• B2 : Consider using distress quantities to calculate deduct values to help remove
confusion regarding the units used to convert measured distress to extent percentages .
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• B2 : Consider removing roughness from the Structural Adequacy Index or consider not
calculating this index at all as the Alligator Cracking Index seems to represent the
structural condition of the pavement.
Treatment Rules and Costs Observations
The pavement management system includes a variety of treatments that are considered in the
recommendations for the City ' s Work Plans . Several treatments are included as available
treatments within the pavement management system: crack seal, slurry seal, hot in-place
recycling, fabric overlay, medium asphalt overlay, inlay/mill/fabric, remove and replace, and
mill and stabilize . The treatment rules and costs are documented in the Fort Collins Pavement
Management Report.
• Treatment unit costs are updated yearly and are based on the average tabulated cost from
contractor costs and City forces. Currently, the Streets Department assists with the
milling, preparation, and base layer asphalt pavement for fabric overlays . They also
repair potholes, conduct pavement patching and handle crack sealing. Contractors are
used to place the surface overlay lifts, conduct concrete repairs , and place slurry seals as
this provides a balance of City and contractor forces and also provides the most cost-
effective use of current City forces .
• Treatment selection rules are realistic and provide a range of treatments for potential
selection across condition ranges.
• The cost of using the Streets Department to conduct work has been proven to be cost-
effective. The Streets Department recently bid competitively against contractors to
provide the Pavement Management Group with current bid prices .
• At this time there are no rules for Portland cement concrete (PCC) treatment selection as
PCC is not recommended other than at arterial-to-arterial intersections and at
roundabouts .
• Treatments are triggered by condition only (except crack sealing which uses age) . Some
treatments may be best triggered by a combination of condition and traffic information
(e. g. , average daily traffic [ADT] ) .
• In 1992 , the Streets Department started conducting the milling and paving of the base
layer on the same day when working on a fabric overlay project. The Streets Department
acts like a contractor for the Pavement Management Group and other departments in the
City. This process provides added benefit to many of the residents as their streets are
worked on when they are at work and repaved by the time they return home.
• Over the years, the Pavement Management Group has tried a number of new treatments
in hopes of expanding it use of cost-effective treatments . Such endeavors led to the use
of hot in-place recycling on the arterial street network. The CFC also uses cold in-place
recycling as an alternative treatment on the City' s more rural annexed roads . In 2007 , the
City is also including the use of 25 ,000 y& of cape seals in its slurry seal program as a
new potential treatment. The use of these treatments shows the progressive nature of the
CFC pavement management program.
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Treatment Rules and Costs Recommendations
• A2 : Given the large future increases expected in hot-mix asphalt prices, the City might
consider adding concrete treatments to the mix of design options . In conjunction with
examining potential concrete treatments (e .g. ultra-thin whitetopping and bonded or
unbounded concrete overlays) there may be a need to conduct a life-cycle cost analysis
(LCCA) to compare flexible and rigid surface type project selection.
• A2 : The CFC should consider the use of hot in-place recycling as a treatment on higher
traffic collector streets . In order to better trigger hot in-place recycling on collector
streets, the traffic information (average daily traffic [ADT] ) should be updated in the
database and used as a means for identifying potential candidates for this type of
treatment. In addition, the City should consider the use of microsurfacing, a type of
slurry seal that uses a polymer-modified emulsion binder, higher quality aggregates, and
a set control additive, as another possible preventive maintenance treatment.
Microsurfacing has been used effectively to improve surface friction characteristics, to
fill wheel ruts and other minor surface irregularities, and to seal the pavement surface,
thereby addressing oxidation, and raveling (Raza 1992) . Increased use of preventive
maintenance treatments on the appropriate pavement sections should continue to allow
the City to operate in a cost-effective manner.
• Al : Extending the current process of using the Streets Department for the conduct of
milling, preparation, and paving is recommended as a means of not only providing cost
competitive unit prices for work but also providing great customer service and overall
project flexibility.
• B2 : The crack sealing program currently focuses on the filling of non-working cracks .
Thought should be given to expanding the program to include the use of crack sealing
with routing and preparation of the cracks prior to sealing especially on arterial streets
with working cracks . Details regarding crack filling versus crack sealing are discussed in
Appendix D .
• B1 : Treatments such as inlay/mill/fabric and thin overlays are not used on the street
network and therefore should be considered for removal from the treatment list unless it
is planned to begin using these treatments again as part of the work plan
recommendations .
• B1 : As a focus of the CFC pavement management philosophy is to "keep good
pavements in good condition," consideration should be given to discussing the
importance of the maintenance treatments (e .g, cracking sealing, hot in-place recycling,
and slurry seal) throughout all literature created and presentations given by the Pavement
Management group . These maintenance treatments help preserve pavements that are in
good condition and that type of treatment is less costly as compared to rehabilitation
treatments (fabric overlay and medium overlays) and reconstruction treatments (mill and
stabilize and remove and replace) . The use of these terms should help streamline the
discussion of acting in a pavement preservation mode of maintaining the current
pavement network using less costly treatments .
• B2 : The current treatment rules are very realistic. However, with potential changes being
made to condition indices these triggers will have to be reevaluated to ensure that
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
treatments are being triggered at the appropriate time. Also, within the treatment rules,
settings are created to reset condition values after the application of a treatment. These
rules will need to be reevaluated along with the treatment triggers . This should be
validated by using sampled pavement sections to ensure that the proposed condition
changes are appropriate.
Pavement Prediction Model Observations
For each pavement condition index, a pavement performance curve is used to model the rate of
deterioration over time for each pavement section. The predicted condition begins at a perfect
condition of 100 and deteriorates down to a failed condition of 0.
• The models are the same for each functional class (arterial, collector and residential) and
each surface type . Therefore, the models do not consider the last treatment applied to
modify the rate of deterioration.
• The pavement performance models are updated each year in the pavement management
program by Deighton.
• Some City personnel expressed interest in seeing the City' s pavement management
performance models instead of presenting the industry figures presented in figure 7 .
100
y $ 1 for
85 renovation
GOOD here
75
[ FAIR vVIII cast
so $4 to $ 5
here
POOR
45[
D
0 5 YEARS 10 YEARS 15 YEARS 20 YEARS 25 YEARS
Figure 7 . Cost effectiveness of maintaining good pavements in good condition (from CFC) .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Pavement Prediction Model Recommendations
• B2 : The pavement management database has significant enough data available to
establish models for each functional class : arterial, collector, and residential streets .
Consideration should be given to modifying the family models to include a method of
differentiating between pavements that have received different treatments or treatment
categories (maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction) .
• Al : Given the many years of pavement performance data available to the CFC, models
could be updated on a three year cycle to reduce analysis dollars spent on this exercise
every year, especially if models are expanded to include different models for the various
functional classifications .
• C1 : The Pavement Management Group should document the City ' s pavement
management models, including data points used to create the models. Actual treatment
costs corresponding to different PCI categories could be used to develop a figure similar
to figure 7 .
Work Plan Creation Observations
With appropriate pavement management pieces in place, the network-level pavement
management analysis is conducted to aid in the selection of the project work that provides the
most benefit to the pavement network while achieving the desired goals of in terms of overall
condition or constrained budget.
• The Pavement Management Group reports that approximately 75 percent of the 5 -year
work plan created with the pavement management system is programmed into the City' s
capital improvement plans . An industry target of having approximately 70 percent of the
work plan implemented into practice indicates that the CFC ' s pavement management
efforts are producing strong implementable work plans .
• The analysis uses a 6 . 5 percent inflation rate to take into account the annexation of
additional streets, which represents annexing approximately 10 miles per year, and
expected increasing treatment costs .
• Currently work plans are developed by the pavement management software vendor.
However, the Pavement Management Group is targeting being able to conduct the
analysis in-house within the next year.
• Currently there is no differentiating between maintenance and rehabilitation funding
when creating work plans .
Work Plan Creation Recommendations
• B2 : While the Pavement Management Group indicated that they feel that 75 percent of
the recommended work from the Deighton software is being incorporated into the final
work plan, it would be beneficial to use the next project programming cycle to formally
determine a percentage correlation. Investigating any differences between recommended
and programmed projects will help define potential avenues for improving condition
survey procedures, quality control procedures for the condition surveys, and/or the
pavement management system performance models and treatment rules.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
• B1 : Current treatment costs, especially costs associated with asphalt products, are rising
at significantly higher rates than ever before. In some places around the country,
agencies are seeing up to 30 percent increases in the cost of asphalt materials . Therefore,
the CFC should evaluate if the 6. 5 percent inflation rate being used is significant enough
to properly represent the increase in material prices they are seeing in Fort Collins .
• Al : In order for the desired multiple impact analysis runs to be handled in a cost-
effective manner, the Pavement Management Group is going to need to have the ability
to do so in-house as soon as possible.
• Al : CFC should consider evaluating the money spent on maintenance, rehabilitation, and
reconstruction treatments in order to determine an appropriate split of funds for each type
of work. This can be accomplished through an iterative impact analysis . This analysis
will demonstrate the appropriate amount to invest in maintenance activities to achieve the
highest possible condition level for the lowest possible investment level.
Project- Level Management
At the project level, multi-year work programs that are developed at the network level are broken
down into annual work plans and finalized. During this process, work is combined to provide
the benefit of economies of scale and to allow for coordination of projects with other
departments .
Project Selection Observations
• Final work plan selection occurs in the Fall when crews go out to measure and mark
asphalt and concrete repairs . Data are then entered in the spreadsheet to tabulate
associated project costs . The marking is repeated every 3 months until construction
occurs . The repeat visits serve as quality assurance checks of the distress quantities
previously recorded.
• During project selection, required pre-construction work (e. g. , use of crack sealing and
patching) is determined. The addition of these pre-treatment repairs into the given
pavement project increases the overall cost of the pavement project. However, this
additional work that is constructed prior to treatment placement has been shown to extend
the life of the constructed treatments . For example, over the years the average life of
slurry seals has been extended from 6 to 8 years when used in combination with pre-
treatment repairs .
• Work from the plan is programmed in neighborhood clusters, which has been proven by
many agencies to be the most cost-effective means for completing maintenance activities .
This approach reduces the cost of mobilization and utility coordination to minimize
disruption to the public and reduce the negative impact on the roadway.
• There is currently a utilities impact process that works well for the City. A paper form is
routed to all utilities prior to the start of a project and this has worked very well in
reducing and nearly ridding the City of incursions into newly rehabilitated pavement
sections. As part of this process, impact fees were implemented that has also helped
reduce the number of incursions .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Project Selection Recommendations
• B2 : The Pavement Management Group should consider conducting an analysis using the
pavement management data to document (through LCCA) that the pre-treatment repairs
are a cost effective way of increasing pavement life. Such analysis will support the
continued use of pre-repairs .
Other Management Topics
In addition to the activities and needs at the strategic-, network-, and project-level of pavement
management, there are pavement management-related topics that exist which correlate to all of
these pavement management levels . Specifically, this includes efforts related to documentation
and integration. Observations and recommendations related to these topics will be discussed in
more detail in this section of the report.
Documentation
The Pavement Management Group is responsible for producing the pavement management
information that is reported back to the City Council, City Managers, and residents .
Documentation activities are needed to effectively communicate the activities and results of the
activities of the Pavement Management Group . Currently the Pavement Management 101 Guide
created by the Pavement Management Group and the City of Fort Collins Pavement
Management Report created by Deighton provide a pretty comprehensive documentation of the
Pavement Management activities used by the City.
Documentation Observations
• The CFC Pavement Management Group recently completed documentation of a draft
Pavement Management 101 Guide that describes many of the basis pavement
management concepts and procedures that the group handles .
• Documentation from the pavement management system is normally extracted via GIS
maps and shared with others in this format. This has proved to be a very effective means
for documenting and communicating information amongst the agency.
• Each year approximately 4,500 households are surveyed for opinions of the services
provided by the Pavement Management Group as a part of a maintenance and/or
rehabilitation work completed on their street and/or neighborhood. Results of the surveys
show that approximately 80 percent of the community is supportive of the fact that the
City is doing a good job maintaining the City streets (as shown in figure 8) and likewise
are supportive of the taxes ($0.25 sales tax implemented in 2005 ) paid for pavement
management.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
100
80
& 60
ca
1W
m 40
2
a 20
0
o° o`' o° 01 0° o° o0 0� & o° � o`' o°
Year
Strongly Agree/Agree No Opinion Disagree/Strongly Disagree ,
J
Figure 8 . Citizen response to the statement that the City is
doing a good job maintaining the street network (CFC 2007) .
Documentation Recommendations
• C1 : The Pavement Management 101 Guide should be expanded to include an executive
summary that could be used to share general information about the pavement
management program with City Council, City Management, and residents .
• C1 : The Pavement Management 101 Guide should also be expanded to include
information on the performance models and setup of the pavement management system.
The document should serve as a "living document" that describes the changes that occur
over time. Any special projects and/or investigations of pavement management practices
conducted by the Pavement Management Group (e. g. , determining the cost savings of
using City forces to conduct paving, conducting an analysis to document (through
LCCA) that the pre-treatment repairs are a cost effective way of increasing pavement life,
or summarizing citizen satisfaction with the street network over time) should be included
in the document as appendices in order for the information to be available to all.
• C1 : The Pavement Management 101 Guide states on page 1 that the Deighton software
"spits out a preliminary list of streets and appropriate treatments for a given budget" . It
would be more appropriate provide a statement similar to, "The Deighton software uses
models to replicate pavement deterioration to determine when pavements are candidates
for maintenance and rehabilitation."
• C1 : Within the City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Report, the surface type
mileage should be updated as the total mileage does not match other summaries of
centerline miles. This may require corrections to the pavement management system.
• C1 : When presenting condition information for the street network, consider reporting the
condition of the system based upon the percent of pavement area in each LOS category.
This will provide a continuing record of how the condition has changed with time .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
• C2 : The link of the pavement management system to the GIS map has been a critical
component of the success of the pavement management system. Yearly updates to the
GIS are followed by updates to the GASB 34 statements and to the pavement
management system. This process occurs at the first part of the year and would benefit
from further synchronization.
• C1 : The Pavement Management Guide should detail how the use of the City' s Streets
forces has saved the Pavement Management Group a significant amount of construction
costs. That cost savings could be reported as total funds saved in a given year and
translated into a number of extra lane miles that are able to be repaired in a given year
because the available funds are made to stretch further.
• C2 : Instead of just surveying only those involved in the pavement work for the year. The
survey should be expanded to include residents throughout the community to gauge
satisfaction with the condition of the overall City street network. If the new LOS concept
is created to present the condition of the pavement network then these surveys should be
formatted in a manner consistent with that concept. For example, a strategic target of
having 75 percent of surveyed residents satisfied with the targeted LOS provided by the
street network could be created.
Integration
Throughout the CFC, many groups work together for the common goal of providing residents
with world-class services . Therefore, the pavement management activities and the work
conducted by the Engineering Department should work in tandem to support this goal.
Integration Observations
• Regular meetings are held between the Pavement Management Group and the Streets
Department to coordinate project work.
• The Pavement Management Group hires other City departments to achieve a more
efficient unit cost of construction activities . Contracts for concrete, slurry seals, and
overlays are contracted as long term contracts (3 or 5 years) in order to further achieve a
reduction in operating costs.
• Within the past two years, the Streets Department has purchased the CityWorks program
by Azteca and is using it as a work management system. The Streets Department
currently tracks pothole repairs and patching using GPS to capture exact locations of
work through the automated vehicle location (AVL) systems on City trucks . The Streets
Department also conducts the crack sealing for the Pavement Management Group .
• The Utilities department is considering using software provided by Deighton to conduct
the management of its assets.
• Currently the warranty projects are managed a variety of ways by a variety of
Departments within the City.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Integration Recommendations
• Al : Continue to use City forces (e. g. Streets and Traffic) to conduct as much work as
possible for the Pavement Management Group and other City departments . The use of
these forces has reduced the unit cost of treatments for the City. Currently the Street
department conducts the milling and paving of the base pavement layer and has
reportedly provided a better product at a lower cost than the bid prices received from
contractors.
• At 9 A committee should be formed to investigate the use of linking CityWorks and the
Deighton software to improve pavement maintenance activities . The committee should
be comprised of members from the Pavement Management Group, the Streets
Department, the Utilities Department, and others deemed necessary. This would provide
the opportunity to share information such as pothole patching locations . This information
could be overlaid on the work plan map developed by the Pavement Management Group
to provide a comparison of what streets are causing significant maintenance issues.
• A2 : Consider using one standard system such as Access, City-Works or Accela to manage
the warranty projects throughout the agency. The choice of a system that can link easily
to the pavement management system could provide many future benefits in accessing the
condition of these warranty projects over time.
State of the Practice
As previously mentioned, one focus of the study is to compare the pavement management
practices of the CFC to those of other City entities . This section of the report discusses how the
practices of other cities compare to those of the CFC in terms of the activities being provided, the
types of services being conducted, and the associated cost of these services . Before comparing
the CFC to other entities , it is important to discuss : what makes a pavement management
system successful?
The definition of success is pretty simple — if a City can answer "yes" to the following questions,
then it has a successful PMS in place.
• Does the pavement management software and the associated business processes meet the
needs of the organization?
• Are the results being used?
• Does the organization trust the results of the pavement management system?
In this section, case studies are presented from medium to large metropolitan areas where a
successful PMS has been institutionalized within the organization. Only "successful" PMS
implementations were selected, i. e . these cities are using the results of the PMS in some form,
despite difficulties that may still exist within their organization. These examples illustrate some
of the critical components of successful pavement management practices.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
This section of the report also uses the observations and recommendations for improvements to
the CFC ' s pavement management practices to benchmark its performance to other
municipalities . The cities whose practices were evaluated are shown below.
• City of Oakland, CA
• City of Vancouver, WA
• City of Westminster, CO
• City of Denver, CO
It should be noted that while Westminster and Denver are very similar in environment to Fort
Collins, the City of Oakland and Vancouver have much milder climates . Therefore pavements in
Oakland and Vancouver do not have to withstand the harsh winter conditions that the Colorado
agencies face. A discussion of how these differences might affect operating costs is provided
after the specific information on each City.
City of Oakland , CA
The City of Oakland maintains approximately 2 ,296 lane-miles . Approximately, 4 years ago the
City switched from its proprietary pavement management system to Street Saver the non-
proprietary system supported by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) . In
making the switch, the City has changed from its focus on project-level construction to utilizing
network-level analysis capabilities to develop sound work plans. In addition to switching
software the City recently moved the PMS group from their Maintenance department to the
Engineering Department. The change brought about numerous benefits (Zimmerman, Yapp, and
Fellars 2007) :
• Better coordination with both capital projects as well utility projects.
• Better coordination between sidewalk management and paving projects since sidewalk
management already resided within Engineering.
• Engineering 's available resources in design and preparing construction documents as
well as contracts meant that resurfacing programs can be prepared very quickly. Since
they do not have to be in the field as much as Maintenance, they also had more time to
plan and prepare plans.
• GIS skills within Engineering can be utilized to link to and integrate the PMS results.
• Since Engineering is already involved with Council presentations, community meetings,
communications with City Manager etc, the skill sets necessary to prepare reports and
exhibits can be utilized to present PMS results and carry advocacy in a much more
effective manner.
• Familiarity with managing large projects ($5- 10 million) and administering state and
federal funds also meant better documentation.
However, there have been disadvantages to this organizational change.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
• There is a weakened link in the coordination with Maintenance, and Engineering now
has to be much more proactive to coordinate with them. There are no biweekly meetings
to coordinate similar to San Francisco 's, so some projects occur under Maintenance that
are not updated in the PMS database.
• Maintenance has considerable experience with paving, both from doing it themselves as
well as inspecting Contractors. The inspectors within the Engineering group generally
do not have the same level of experience and do not always monitor quality as well.
• The lack of field personnel in Engineering means that the PMS database is not being
updated as regularly as before.
The City ' s practices are similar to the CFC as there is still additional focus needed to improve
the strategic-level management using the pavement management data. The City plans to conduct
more impact analysis to provide needed information to the City Council and City Managers.
Nevertheless, like the CFC, they have all the pieces in place and are conducting successful
pavement management activities .
City of Vancouver, WA
With a street network nearly identical in size ( 1 ,713 lane miles) to the CFC, the City of
Vancouver rates its pavement network on a 2-year cycle . The rating scale that the City of
Vancouver uses is based on a 0 to 100 scale similar to the CFC . The streets that are rated at a 70
and above are considered to be in good condition. The City' s pavement preservation strategy is
to "keep good streets in good condition" as they recognize that the cost to repair failing roads
increases at a dramatic rate once roads begin to fail .
Based upon the results of the pavement condition ratings , the City uses the pavement
management system to determine which streets are in need of preventive maintenance,
resurfacing or reconstruction. The work plans developed at the network-level are then selected
as final project at the project-level based upon several factors : engineering evaluations,
coordination with other agencies and utilities, and input from citizens and maintenance
personnel.
With a network similar in size to the CFC , it is interesting to note that the City of Vancouver has
estimated it' s replacement value of its road network to be greater than $400 million and has
stated that, "Pavement management is a way of protecting this investment, therefore maximizing
the life of the streets and getting the most for every tax dollar. "
City of Westminster, CO
Since 1985 , the City of Westminster has utilized a pavement management program. They, like
the City of Fort Collins, use pavement condition inspections to rate the condition of the
pavement network. The condition surveys include the use of laser road surface technology and
non-destructive subgrade testing. The condition ratings are utilized to create models that predict
the performance of the street system. The City also uses their pavement management system to
identify and prioritize project work based upon estimated budget levels . Resulting street
conditions are estimated based upon the improvement plan.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
For 2007 , the City has budgeted $3 . 5 million for street improvements for its 1 ,025 lane-mile
network. The work that is planned in the City includes : pavement reconstruction, resurfacing
and curb, gutter/sidewalk replacement, and chip sealing.
The City of Westminster, like the CFC, is using a fair number of pavement maintenance
strategies to aid in maintaining the network. In addition to the use of chip sealing, the City has
focused on the use of crack sealing to carry the available maintenance dollars further. The City
supports the philosophy that spending a small amount of funding to seal the pavement cracks in
order to prevent moisture infiltration into the base and subbase of the roadway is a good
investment as the money spent is easily saved through reduced pavement failures and fewer
potholes which can help prolong the pavement life.
City of Denver, CO
The City of Denver has been using pavement management software since 1997 to maintain it ' s
approximately 5 ,665 lane miles of pavement. Many of the City of Denver' s pavement
management practices are similar in nature to the CFC because both agencies are utilizing the
Deighton ' s dTIMS software to manage the pavement network.
The City of Denver is currently using their pavement management system to conduct impact
analysis in order to convey needed information to City management and City Council regarded
needed funds to reach various average condition levels . The information they share with the
Council includes the detailed project list. This information is discussed directly with Council
members to obtain input into the final project selection. This process allows some projects to be
subject to political influence .
In terms of data collection activities, the City uses handheld devices for City staff and hired
interns to collect pavement condition information on the collector and residential street network.
The frequency of data collection is targeted at every 3 years for the street network but given the
risk and liability of having City staff out on the arterial network, it has been nearly 7 years since
that data has been collected. In 2007, the City is conducting a resurvey of all City streets as it is
trying to assess the impact of a severe 2006-2007 winter on the overall pavement network.
Denver will use its pavement management program to determine how much extra funding will be
needed to address all of the expedited deterioration that it has seen on its system due to the
severity of winter storms . The City is also expanding its pavement condition data collection to
other assets such as curb and gutter to aid in a transformation to more focus on total asset
management.
The City of Denver is also using successful pavement management practices in terms of mapping
pavement management information through the use of their GIS system. They also conduct and
document the results of citizen surveys throughout the City on a regular basis to determine the
satisfaction with the level of service that they provide for their residents.
Of the highlighted Cities with successful pavement management practices, Denver seems to have
the most successful pieces in place. Therefore, a direct comparison was made between Denver
and the CFC to see how their practices compared to one another as shown in table 2 .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 2 . Pavement management practices comparison
for the City of Fort Collins and City of Denver.
City of Fort Collins City of Denver
Strategic-level
Strategic Providing needed budget to meet Using multiple impact analyses to
policies desired condition level. Occasional inform council members of pavement
information sessions with Council needs. Conducting annual work
Members . session with Council Members.
Network-level
Data collection Conducting semi-automated surveys on Conducting manual surveys on a 3 year
activities a 3 year cycle for all pavements, cycle for collectors and residential; not
achieving this cycle on arterials .
Pavement Use PCI and target condition of 75 . Use PCI and Remaining Service Life .
condition Target an average condition of 70 with
reporting 70% of the pavement sections above
70 .
Pavement Using 11 indices to select treatments Using 8 indices for project selection,
prediction and summarize overall condition. pavement prediction, and condition
modeling summary.
Treatment Use of a wide variety of preventive Use of both preventive maintenance
rules and costs maintenance treatments that are (chip seals and hot in-place) and
triggered through the treatment rules rehabilitation treatments . Little use of
along with other rehabilitation crack sealing at this time .
treatments .
Work plan 5 -year work plans are created for use in 6-year work plans are created which
creation project programming. An approximate focus on providing the sectors of the
correlation of project recommendations city that are in need of work. An
to actual implemented projects of 75 % . approximate correlation of project
recommendations to actual
implemented projects of 50%.
Project-level
Project Well coordinated project selection with Project selection is done on a sector
Selection Streets and the utilities . The basis with a decision to use the
coordination results in use of City predominant treatment type for the
forces and helps minimize the impact entire sector. Little coordination of
of trenching on the pavement network project with utilities .
because of good coordination with
utilities .
Other Topics
Documentation Draft document of full pavement A draft document is currently in
management practices , progress .
Integration Good coordination with Streets Some coordination of information and
department, work with maintenance but not tracking
the maintenance information with PM.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Summary of City Practices
As shown by the variety of City practices, it is difficult to define "best practice" pavement
management as agencies customize their policies and procedures to meet the needs of the
organization. Although "best practice" may be hard to define, it is not hard to recognize
agencies with "successful" pavement management systems and practices . Each agency
highlighted in this section, as well as the City of Fort Collins, is operating a successful pavement
management system using many "best practices". Each organization continues to enhance their
existing capabilities as any successful system must evolve with time to continue to reflect agency
practices and policies .
As part of this comparison of the CFC ' s practices to other communities, City Management
desired to examine the cost-effectiveness of the City ' s maintenance and rehabilitation
expenditures . While a complicated metric to compare, given the extreme number of potential
influences to this value, table 3 provides a comparison of the 2005 road rehabilitation costs for
the Cities with successful pavement management operations . The table also provides
information regarding the demographics and climate conditions of the City.
Table 3 . Comparison of road expenditures for Cities
with successful pavement management practices (ICMA 2005) .
Days per year Paved Lane Road Rehabilitation
City Population with freezing or Miles in Expenditures per Lane
snow conditions Jurisdiction Mile
Oakland, CA 41100 0 2,295 $21656
Vancouver, WA 1549800 35 19713 $29293
Fort Collins, 1399908 149 19742 $29997
CO*
Westminster, 1081351 155 15025 $21978
CO
Denver, CO 1 579,744 1 164 1 55665 1 $29599
* 2006 values
As shown in table 3 , the CFC ' s cost to conduct road maintenance and rehabilitation is very much
in line with the costs expended by other agencies . The cost of rehabilitation in the milder climate
cities of Oakland and Vancouver is slightly lower than Fort Collins, which is to be expected
given the difference in number of freezing or snow condition days . Especially reassuring is the
comparativeness of the CFC ' s costs to those reported by Westminster as the networks are in the
same environment and very similar in size. Another consideration is that the costs reported here
for the City of Fort Collins are based on 2006 data while 2005 data were used for the other
Cities . It is expected that costs would be higher for the CFC given the recent yearly increases in
asphalt material costs (20 to 30 percent increases) .
In summary, the City' s practices are compared to "best practices" in pavement management in
figure 9 .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Figure 9 . Comparison of City of Fort Collins to best practices.
City of Fort Collins Best Practice
Strategic-level
Strategic policies
Network-level
Data collection activities •
Pavement condition reporting
Pavement prediction modeling •
Treatment rules and costs • •
Work plan creation • •
Pro j ect-level
Project Selection •
•
Other Management Topics
Documentation � •
Integration
As shown in figure 9, the City of Fort Collins has a very successful pavement management
system. As with any organization there is still room for improvement but overall the City has the
right pieces in place to continue to cost-effectively manage the City ' s street network. The
primary focus of needed improvements is concentrated at the strategic-level. The
implementation of the recommendations from this study will bridge the gap to bring all areas of
the City ' s pavement management activities up to "best practices . "
Summary
The CFC has actively worked to improve its pavement management practices since its initial
implementation efforts in the late 1980s . With a new pavement management system
implemented in 1997 , the City has placed more importance on the results of the pavement
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. Page 35
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
management analysis to improve the cost-effectiveness of its pavement preservation activities .
Today, the Department relies on pavement management information to select the right projects
for treatment and to determine funding needs to match set condition goals .
A technical review of the pavement management activities found that CFC ' s pavement
management practices compare favorably with other municipalities with successful pavement
management systems. The data collection activities that serve as the basis for the pavement
management recommendations are state of the art. The pavement management software used by
CFC is internationally recognized software and is the same software that is utilized by the City of
Denver and the State of Colorado. The program provides a great deal of flexibility to the City in
their analyses, and the pavement management models incorporated into the pavement
management software follow accepted pavement management practices .
One of the most positive aspects of CDOT ' s pavement management activities is the degree to
which pavement management information is integrated into the agency ' s decision-making
process . The ability to incorporate over 75 percent of recommended projects into the City' s
work plan is a tremendous example of how well the system is set up to provide realistic and
implementable treatment strategies. Further, the City ' s use of linking pavement management
information to GIS has provided tremendous benefit to all involved as information is easily
shared. Also the progressive use of cost-effective preventive maintenance treatments is helping
preserve the pavement network at a high condition level.
Specific recommendations for enhancements to the pavement management system are provided
in the body of the report, along with suggestions for an implementation timeframe . The
recommendations are concentrated in the following three general categories :
• Improving the efficiency or cost-effectiveness of the pavement management
activities (Category A) : These recommendations include suggestions such as
considering the use of a LOS target level that allows for fluctuation in funding levels.
Also the use of different targeted LOS for the arterial, collector, and residential streets
could reduce needed funding for maintaining the road network. Such reductions in
condition must be assessed with a trade-off between available levels of funding and
desired LOS at the strategic level .
• Improving the reliability or reasonableness of the pavement management activities
(Category B) : The recommendations in this category include strategies to revise several
of the current pavement condition indices used, create performance models for different
functional classifications, and conduct QC/QA on the distress data collection information.
• Improving the documentation or sharing of pavement management information
(Category C) : These recommendations include strategies to encourage the continued
documentation of pavement management activities . Specifically, the recommendations
increase the documentation of the pavement management process provided to the City
Council, City Management, and residents ; expand the number of residents surveyed as
part of the citizen survey activities to determine the citizens ' desired level of service for
the street network, and improve the Distress Identification Manual to aid in improved
survey methodology.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
With the completion of the recommendations included in this report, the pavement management
system will continue to provide the City with increasingly reliable information on which to base
transportation infrastructure decisions .
References
Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) . 1998 . Arizona Asset Accountability.
Partnering with our Customers for Effective Maintenance Management. Arizona Department of
Transportation, Phoenix, AZ.
International City/County Management Association (ICMA) . 2005 . FY 2005 Highway and
Road Maintenance Center for Performance Measurement.
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) . 2000 . Maintenance Condition and
Funding Needs. North Carolina Department of Transportation, Raleigh, NC.
Raza, H. 1992 . An Overview of Surface Rehabilitation Techniques for Asphalt Pavements .
FHWA-PD-92-008 . Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC .
Zimmerman, Yapp, and Fellars . 2007 . Pavement Management System Software Replacement
Business Practices Analysis. Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. (APTech), Urbana, IL.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Appendix
Applied Pavement Technology , Inc . A- 1
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
APTech 's Experience
The conduct of this research project requires a project team that understands pavement
management and can provide objective recommendations for improving the pavement
management process to best meet the CFC ' s needs. The proposed APTech team has worked
directly with numerous agencies to enhance their existing pavement management capabilities
and will use this extensive experience as it conducts an independent review and makes
recommendations for enhancements to the CFC ' s system.
Currently, the APTech team is conducting studies to assess the pavement management systems
and business processes of the State of South Dakota, the State of Mississippi, and the City of
Portland. Based upon the experience with the City of Portland, APTech is very familiar with
pavement management issues facing municipalities .
As an example of other recent experience, APTech conducted a review of the New Jersey DOT ' s
pavement management system, which resulted in the identification of the strengths and
weaknesses of the existing practices, the gaps between desired and existing capabilities, and
recommendations to improve the use of the pavement management system to support the
agency ' s decision-making process . Additionally, APTech has conducted a business process
audit of the pavement management practices used by the California Department of
Transportation (Caltrans) and provided technical advice to the Oregon DOT as it considered the
acquisition of new pavement management software.
APTech has assisted numerous other agencies in improving aspects of their pavement
management activities . For example, in Arizona and Delaware, the company conducted a
pavement management needs assessment that resulted in the development of system capabilities
that were incorporated into an RFP for a pavement management vendor. Similarly, APTech
conducted a technical review of the pavement management practices used by the Colorado DOT,
and in addition to providing recommendations for enhancements to their pavement management
practices ; APTech conducted a customized pavement management training course for the State ' s
pavement management stakeholders .
Other relevant projects that APTech has completed have included assisting the FHWA ' s Eastern
Federal Lands Highway Division as they began the process of selecting pavement management
software, implementing a pavement management program for the City and County of Honolulu,
and providing pavement management assistance and support to the North Carolina DOT.
Research Team
The conduct of this study is under the direction Ms . Angie Wolters, P .E. who served as Project
Manager. Ms . Wolters earned her B . S . and M. S . degrees in Civil Engineering from the
University of Illinois and has been contributing to APTech' s pavement management studies
since 2000. Currently, she is serving as Senior Project Engineer in charge of the development of
pavement management implementation recommendations for the State of Mississippi . She is
also leading the effort to create the RFP for Mississippi to use for soliciting bids for new
pavement management software. She has provided technical assistance on several State
pavement management technical assistance contracts (Oklahoma, Vermont, North Carolina, and
California) and has directed the implementation of pavement management for a private
contractor managing the maintenance of four interstates in Virginia under an asset management
contract. In addition, for the City of Philadelphia, she served as the Project Engineer in charge of
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. A-2
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
the pavement management database development and distress data collection. She also assisted
in the customization of the pavement management system and the development of maintenance
and rehabilitation recommendations.
During work for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Ms . Wolters developed
performance models for the Oklahoma pavement management system. She also managed the
development of a quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) tool to analyze the quality of
Oklahoma ' s pavement management data collected using an outside vendor and automated
equipment. In Vermont, Ms . Wolters was responsible for the statistical analysis of pavement
condition data that was used in developing updated performance models for the Department' s
pavement management system. In North Carolina, she served as the Senior Project Engineer on
both the assessment of the existing pavement condition survey procedures and the development
of the pilot study to assess the feasibility of automated data collection procedures. For
California, she is evaluating the impact of a pavement preservation program on long-term
network conditions.
Serving as Principal in Charge, Ms . Kathryn Zimmerman, P .E. , the President and founder of
APTech provided technical assistance for this project. Ms . Zimmerman holds B . S . and M. S .
degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois and has earned a national reputation
for her work in pavement management during the past 20 years . Because of her knowledge of
pavement management practices and the objectivity she brings as she assesses pavement
management needs, Ms. Zimmerman has contracted with several municipalities and State highway
agencies to provide technical assistance as they consider enhancements in existing pavement
management capabilities. She has worked with the States of Delaware, Illinois, Utah, Arizona,
California, Oklahoma, Vermont, North Carolina, New Jersey, Mississippi, Michigan, and Oregon
Departments of Transportation and the FHWA in this capacity. Additionally, she has overseen the
implementation of a pavement management system for the City of Philadelphia, the City and
County of Honolulu, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Ms . Zimmerman also actively supports several agencies during their ongoing pavement
management initiatives . For the Michigan Department of Transportation, Ms . Zimmerman
recently served as the Pavement Management Specialist to the Transportation Asset
Management Council, which is responsible for implementing asset management practices in
local agencies within the State, where she advises the Council on an as-needed basis. For the
North Carolina DOT, Ms . Zimmerman served as the Principal Investigator on a contract to
provide pavement management assistance and support to the North Carolina DOT. Under this
contract, APTech conducted a review of the DOT ' s manual pavement condition survey
procedures and developed the framework for a pilot study to determine the feasibility of utilizing
automated data collection equipment.
In addition to these activities, Ms . Zimmerman has been involved in other activities to promote
pavement management. For example, she has recently served as a speaker during several of the
FHWA ' s new Pavement Management User' s Group Forums, which are conducted online each
quarter.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Appendix B
Applied Pavement Technology , Inc . B- 1
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Pavement Management Self Assessment Tool
Developed by : Applied Pavement Technology, Inc .
Table 1 . Policy and strategic guidance portion of self-assessment form .
How are policy and strategic activities supported through the use of pavement management?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
Disagree Agree
Policy Decisions
Al . Agency pavement preservation policies are
supported through the use of pavement 0 1 2 3 4
management activities .
A2 . The agency's capital and maintenance
funding allocations for roads are based on an 0 1 2 3 4
assessment of pavement needs .
A3 . The agency's policies for project and
treatment selection are based on the results of a 0 1 2 3 4
cost-effectiveness analysis .
A4 . Agency policies are based on an appropriate
balance of technical information and other factors 0 1 2 3 4
(such as customer input and fiscal
considerations ) .
A5 . Agencies policies would benefit from
enhancements to the pavement management 0 1 2 3 4
system .
Agency Pavement Preservation Goals
A6 . Our agency has a business plan or strategic
plan with comprehensive , well -defined goals for 0 1 2 3 4
pavement preservation .
A7 . Our agency' s pavement preservation goals
are based on information provided by the 0 1 2 3 4
pavement management system .
A8 . Our agency' s pavement preservation goals
are linked to performance measures that are 0 1 2 3 4
monitored through the pavement management
system .
Resource Allocation for Pavement
Preservation
A9 . Funding allocations for pavement
preservation activities are based on data 0 1 2 3 4
supported by pavement management.
A10 . Our agency's pavement preservation goals 0 1 2 3 4
are linked to the allocation of resources .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 2 . Program development portion of self-assessment form .
Does the pavement management system support the project and treatment selection process?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
Disagree Agree
Identification of Candidate Projects and
Treatments
131 . Criteria used to identify candidate projects
for maintenance and rehabilitation are based 0 1 2 3 4
on defined performance measures .
B2 . Agency guidelines assist in the
identification of candidate projects and 0 1 2 3 4
treatments .
B3 . Agency guidelines for treatment selection 0 1 2 3 4
are applied uniformly across the agency .
B4 . Candidate projects for maintenance are
identified based on defined levels of service for 0 1 2 3 4
the roadway pavements .
Project Selection
B5 . Project selection is based primarily on an
objective assessment of the relative merit of 0 1 2 3 4
each project and its ability to help the agency
meet its performance targets .
B6 . Project selection is not exclusively based 0 1 2 3 4
on worst-first principles .
B7 . Our project and treatment selection
processes support the agency' s pavement 0 1 2 3 4
preservation goals .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 3 . Information management portion of self-assessment form .
Do the pavement management activities provide the information needed to support agency decisions?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
Disagree Agree
Effective and Efficient Data Collection
C1 . Our agency has a complete and up-to- 0 1 2 3 4
date inventory of our pavement assets .
C2 . Our agency regularly collects
information on the condition of our pavement 0 1 2 3 4
assets .
C3 . Our agency regularly collects data on
customer perceptions of pavement condition 0 1 2 3 4
and performance .
C4 . Our agency continually seeks to improve 0 1 2 3 4
the efficiency of data collection activities .
C5 . Our agency has implemented
procedures to ensure the quality of the data 0 1 2 3 4
collected .
Information Integration and Access
C6 . The data collected for pavement
management supports the agency' s decision- 0 1 2 3 4
making process .
C7 . Agency managers and staff at different
levels can quickly and conveniently obtain
current information they need about 0 1 2 3 4
pavement characteristics , condition , or
performance .
C8 . Our agency has established standards
for geographic referencing that allow us to 0 1 2 3 4
bring together pavement information from
different sources .
C9 . Our agency can easily produce map
displays showing pavement needs and 0 1 2 3 4
deficiencies or planned and programmed
projects .
Pavement Management Feedback Loop
C10 . Information on completed pavement
work and costs is used to update the cost 0 1 2 3 4
estimating conducted by pavement
management .
C11 . Information on pavement performance
is used to update the pavement management 0 1 2 3 4
forecasts of future conditions .
C12 . Our agency compares the funded
projects to the recommendations from the 0 1 2 3 4
pavement management system to improve
the pavement management models .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 4. Pavement management analysis and results portion of self-assessment form .
Are the pavement management analysis results used by the agency to support decisions?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
Disagree Agree
Use of Pavement Management Analysis
Results
D1 . Our agency uses pavement
management tools to calculate and report 0 1 2 3 4
actual pavement conditions and
performance .
D2 . Our agency uses pavement
management tools to identify system 0 1 2 3 4
deficiencies and needs .
D3 . Our agency uses pavement
management tools to rank candidate 0 1 2 3 4
projects for the capital program .
D4 . Our agency uses pavement
management tools to forecast future 0 1 2 3 4
system performance given a proposed
program of projects .
D5 . Our agency uses pavement
management tools to forecast future 0 1 2 3 4
system performance for different funding
levels .
D6 . Our agency uses pavement
management tools to forecast future 0 1 2 3 4
system performance for different treatment
strategies .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
APPENDIX C
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. C- 1
City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 1 . Policy and strategic guidance portion of self-assessment form .
How are policy and strategic activities supported through the use of pavement management?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
(0) Disagree (2) (3) Agree Average
(1) (4)
Policy Decisions
Al . Agency pavement preservation 5 4.0
policies are supported through the use
of pavement management activities.
A2 . The agency ' s capital and 2 3 3 .6
maintenance funding allocations for
roads are based on an assessment of
pavement needs.
A3 . The agency' s policies for project 1 4 3 .8
and treatment selection are based on
the results of a cost-effectiveness
analysis.
A4. Agency policies are based on an 1 2 2 2 .8
appropriate balance of technical
information and other factors (such as
customer input and fiscal
considerations).
A5 . Agency policies would benefit 1 3 1 2 .6
from enhancements to the pavement
management system.
Agency Pavement Preservation
Goals
A6. Our agency has a business plan or 1 4 3 .8
strategic plan with comprehensive,
well-defined goals for pavement
reservation.
A7 . Our agency' s pavement 1 4 3 .8
preservation goals are based on
information provided by the pavement
management system.
A8 . Our agency' s pavement 1 4 3 .8
preservation goals are linked to
performance measures that are
monitored through the pavement
management system.
A9. Funding allocations for pavement 2 2 1 2 .8
preservation activities are based on
data supported by pavement
management,
A10. Our agency' s pavement 1 2 2 3 .2
preservation goals are linked to the
allocation of resources .
Note: Columns show number of corresponding responses received.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 2 . Program development portion of self-assessment form .
Does the pavement management system support the project and treatment selection process?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
(0) Disagree (2) (3) Agree Average
(1) (4)
Identification of Candidate Projects and Treatments
B 1 . Criteria used to identify 4 300
candidate projects for maintenance
and rehabilitation are based on
defined performance measures .
B2 . Agency guidelines assist in the 1 3 3 .8
identification of candidate projects
and treatments .
B3 . Agency guidelines for treatment 1 4 390
selection are applied uniformly
across the agency.
B4 . Candidates projects for 1 3 3 .8
maintenance are identified based on
defined levels of service for the
roadway pavements
Project Selection
B5 . Project selection is based 1 3 398
primarily on an objective assessment
of the relative merit of each project
and its ability to help the agency
meet its performance targets .
B6 . Project selection is not 1 3 390
exclusively based on worst-first
strategies.
B7 . Our project and treatment 1 3 398
selection processes support the
agency' s pavement preservation
goals.
Note: Columns show number of corresponding responses received.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 3 . Information management portion of self-assessment form .
Do the pavement management activities provide the information needed to support agency decisions?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
(0) Disagree (2) (3) Agree Average
(1) (4)
Effective and Efficient Data Collection
Cl . Our agency has a complete and up-to-date 1 1 3 3 .4
inventory of our pavement assets.
C2 . Our agency regularly collects information 1 4 3 .2
on the condition of our pavement assets .
C3 . Our agency regularly collects data on 2 1 1 1 1 .8
customer perceptions of pavement condition and
performance.
C4. Our agency continually seeks to improve 2 3 2 .4
the efficiency of data collection activities.
C5 . Our agency has implemented procedures to 2 1 2 2 .2
ensure the quality of the data collected.2
Information Integration and Access
C6 . The data collected for pavement 2 3 3 .6
management supports the agency' s decision-
making process.
C7 . Agency managers and staff at different 2 3 3 .6
levels can quickly and conveniently obtain
information they need about pavement
characteristics, condition, or performance.
C8 . Our agency has established standards for 2 1 2 2 .2
geographic referencing that allow us to bring
together pavement information from different
sources.
C9 . Our agency can easily produce map 1 1 3 3 .0
displays showing pavement needs and
deficiencies or planned and programmed
projects .
C 10. Information on completed pavement work 1 1 3 3 .0
and costs is used to update the cost estimating
conducted by pavement management.
C11 . Information on pavement performance is 5 4.0
used to update the pavement management
forecasts of future conditions.
C12 . Our agency compares the funded projects 1 4 3 .2
to the recommendations from the pavement
management system to improve the pavement
management models.
Note: Columns show number of corresponding responses received.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Table 4. Pavement management analysis and results portion of self-assessment form .
Are the pavement management analysis results used by the agency to support decisions?
Unknown Strongly Strongly
(0) Disagree (2) (3) Agree Average
(1) (4)
Use o Pavement Management
D1 . Our agency uses pavement 1 4 308
management tools to calculate and
report actual pavement conditions
and performance.
D2 . Our agency uses pavement 1 4 398
management tools to identify system
deficiencies and needs .
D3 . Our agency uses pavement 2 1 2 2.2
management tools to rank candidate
projects for the capital program.
D4. Our agency uses pavement 1 4 12
management tools to forecast future
system performance given a
proposed program of projects.
D5 . Our agency uses pavement 2 3 2A
management tools to forecast future
system performance for different
funding levels.
D6 . Our agency uses pavement 2 3 2A
management tools to forecast future
system performance for different
treatment strategies.
Note: Columns show number of corresponding responses received.
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
APPENDIX D
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
CRACK FILLING /CRACK SEALING
Description and Purpose
Crack filling and crack sealing describe two separate and distinct preventive maintenance
activities for AC pavements . Crack filling is the placement of materials into non-working cracks
to substantially reduce infiltration of water and to reinforce the adjacent pavement (Smith and
Romine 1993 ) . Crack sealing, on the other hand, is the placement of specialized materials either
above or into working cracks using unique configurations to reduce the intrusion of water and
incompressibles into the crack (Smith and Romine 1993 ) . Working cracks are defined as those
that experience significant horizontal movements, generally greater than about 2 mm (0 . 1 in) .
Crack sealing requires more planning and design than crack filling, and it uses specially
formulated materials and more sophisticated equipment (Smith and Romine 1993 ) . Crack
sealing also places greater emphasis on the preparation of the crack prior to the installation of the
sealant. In crack filling, at times preparation may be limited to blowing out loose debris with
compressed air prior to the placement of the filler material. Cracks less than 2 . 5 mm (0 . 1 in) are
often not sealed; cracks greater than 38 mm ( 1 . 5 in) are likely to need repair. General guidelines
on the use of each crack treatment method are provided in table D- 1 .
Table D- 1 . Guidelines on the use of crack filling and crack sealing
(after Smith and Romine 1993 ) .
Crack Crack Crack
Characteristics Sealing Fillin
Crack Width, m 5 to 20 5 to 25m (in) (0.25 to 0.75) (0.25 to 1 .0)
Edge Deterioration Minimal to None Moderate to None
(i.e. , s alls, secondary cracks) (< 25% of crack length) (< 50% of crack length)
Annual Horizontal > 2 < 2
Movement, mm (in) (0. 1 ) (0. 1 )
• Transverse thermal cracks • Longitudinal reflective cracks
• Transverse reflective cracks • Longitudinal cold joint cracks
Type of Crack • Diagonal cracks • Longitudinal edge cracks
• Working longitudinal cracks • Distantly spaced block cracks
• Routing/sawing • Blowing out debris
Preparation • Cleaning/drying
• Backer rod (if required)
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Materials and Placement Configurations
Many different materials have been used to seal and fill cracks in AC pavements . These
materials may be broadly grouped as either thermoplastic or thermosetting. Thermoplastic
materials are bitumen-based materials that soften upon heating and harden upon cooling,
generally without a change in chemical composition (FHWA 1998) . Thermosetting materials are
one- or two-part materials that set by the release of solvents or cure through a chemical process
(FHWA 1998) . Examples of thermoplastic materials include asphalt cement, asphalt rubber, and
rubberized asphalt; examples of thermosetting materials include silicone and polysulfide .
However, thermosetting materials are generally not used on asphalt pavements.
Table D-2 summarizes available crack treatment materials . In recent years, more agencies have
been moving toward the use of higher quality materials (such as the rubberized asphalts) for
effective crack treatment installations and away from the unmodified asphalts and emulsions .
Even in crack filling operations, which are performed on non-working cracks, materials with
some degree of elasticity and flexibility are still required. For crack treatments, recent research
indicates that some of the best performance is obtained from the rubberized and low-modulus
rubberized asphalt materials.
Table D-2 . Summary of sealant materials (after Smith and Romine 1993 ) .
Material Example Applicable Recommended 1995 Cost Range,
Type Products Specifications Application $/kg ($/Ib)
Asphalt CRS-2, CMS-2, ASTM D 977 & AASHTO M 140, Crack Filling 0.20 to 0.35
Emulsion HFMS- 1 ASTM D 2397 & AASHTO M 208 (0. 10 to 0. 16)
Polymer-Modified Elf CRS-2P, ASTM D 977 & AASHTO M 140, Crack Filling 0.90 to 1 .30
Emulsion Hy-Grade Kold Flo ASTM D 2397 & AASHTO M 208 (possibly sealing) (0.40 to 0.59)
Asphalt AC- 10, ASTM D 3381 , AASHTO M 209 Crack Filling 0.20 to 0.35
Cement AC-20 AASHTO M 226 (0. 10 to 0. 16)
Mineral-Filled Various State Specifications Crack Filling 0.35 to 0.60
Asphalt Cement (0. 16 to 0.27)
Fiberized Hercules FiberPave+AC, Manufacturer's Recommended Crack Filling 0.35 to 0.60
Asphalt Kapejo BoniFibers+AC Specifications (0. 16 to 0.27)
Asphalt Koch 9000, Various State Specifications, Crack Sealing 0.50 to 0.70
Rubber Crafco AR2 ASTM D 5078 (possibly filling) (0.23 to 0.32)
Meadows # 164, Koch 9001 , ASTM D 1190 & AASHTO M 173 & Crack Sealing 0.60 to 0.95
Rubberized Crafco RS2'211 Fed SS-S- 164 (0.27 to 0.43)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asphalt Meadows Hi-Spec, ASTM D 3405 & AASHTO M 301 & Crack Sealing 0.95 to 1 .25
Koch 9005, Crafco RS®221 Fed SS-S- 1401 (0.43 to 0.57)
Low-Modulus Meadows XLM, Koch 9030, Various State Modified ASTM D 3405 Crack Sealing 1 .30 to 1 .60
Rubberized Asphalt Crafco RS®231 Specifications (0.59 to 0.73)
Self-Leveling Dow Corning 890-SL, Manufacturer's Recommended Crack Sealing 8.50 to 11 .80
Silicone Crafco 903-SL Specifications (3 .86 to 5.36)
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
When installed in a crack, the sealant material is placed in a specific configuration. A variety of
sealant configurations have also been used for crack filling and sealing activities, with the four
basic configurations shown in figure D- 1 (FHWA 1995 ) . In the flush fill configuration, the
sealant material is simply placed in the crack and then struck off so that it is flush with the
pavement surface . In the reservoir configuration, a channel of prescribed depth and width is
created and the sealant material is placed in the reservoir flush with or slightly below the
pavement surface. The creation of the reservoir aids in the performance of the sealant material,
but does increase the cost of the operation.
Two other primary configurations used in the placement of sealant materials are the overband
and the combination. In the overband configuration, material is placed into and over the existing
crack; if the material is shaped into a band using a squeegee or similar tool, it is referred to as a
band-aid application, whereas if it is left unshaped, it is referred to as a capped configuration
(FHWA 1995) . Finally, the combination configuration uses both a reservoir and overbanding
application in which a squeegee is used to shape the material into a band that is centered over the
crack (FHWA 1995) . The sealant material bonding to the pavement surface aids in the
performance of the overband and combination configurations, but the material may detract from
the appearance of the pavement and be susceptible to snow plow damage. Crack sealing
generally uses the reservoir or combination configuration, whereas crack filling generally uses
either the flush-fill or the overband configuration.
Flush - Fill Overband
7
Reservoir Combination
Figure D- 1 . Basic sealant material placement configurations (FHWA 1995) .
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City of Fort Collins Pavement Management Review June 2007
Limitations and Effectiveness
Crack filling and crack sealing are most effective when performed on pavements exhibiting little
structural deterioration. Crack sealing may be most effectively performed at a time of year when
temperatures are moderately cool (7 to 18 °C [45 to 64 °F] ), such as the spring and fall (FHWA
1995) . Cracks are partly open during this time and near the middle of their working range,
which means that the sealant material placed in them will not have to undergo excessive
extension or contraction during its performance period (FHWA 1995) .
Crack sealing effectiveness is related to the timeliness of the sealing. For maximum
effectiveness, cracks should be sealed as soon as they develop. As a practical matter, pavements
that require crack sealing or filling may soon require a subsequent treatment. Consideration
should be given to the effect of the sealant on the performance of future treatments.
Performance and Benefits
The average life of crack sealing installations is generally reported to be in the range of 3 to 5
years . For example, Ontario reports that a combination type crack sealant installation lasts
between 5 and 6 years (Chong 1990) and that routing and sealing cracks may extend the life of
pavements by at least 2 years (Ponniah and Kennepohl 1996) ; New York reports similar
performance lives for its crack sealant installations (Geoffroy 1996) . Preliminary results from
the ongoing SPS-3 study being sponsored by the FHWA suggest that crack sealing is effective
for about 6 to 8 years (Morian et al. 1998) . In that study, the combination configuration is
performing particularly well in the northern regions for all existing pavement condition levels on
which it was installed (Morian et al . 1997) . However, it is noted that the effectiveness of crack
sealing is dependent upon the continued maintenance of the sealed cracks (Morian et al . 1997) .
The performance of crack filling is not as well established as crack sealing. In New York State,
crack filling is reported to last an average of 2 years (Geoffroy 1996) .
Reference
Peshkin, D . G, K. D . Smith, K. A. Zimmerman, and D . N. Geoffroy. 1999 . Pavement
Preservation: The Preventive Maintenance Concept. FHWA/NHI Training Course 131054,
Reference Manual. FHWA-HI-00-004. National Highway Institute . Federal Highway
Administration, Washington, D .C .
Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. D-5