Title
Adopt a Resolution to Approve the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Project List for Fiscal Year 2027 Funded by SB1 (the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017)
Staff Report
COUNCIL PRIORITY
• Infrastructure
SUMMARY
Staff recommend the City Council adopt the Resolution approving the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account Project List for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY 2027). Identified projects include the MacArthur Roundabout, Lake Chabot Road Stabilization and Repair (Phase 1), Annual Street Sealing, and Annual Local Street Maintenance Projects.
BACKGROUND
Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), signed by then-Governor Brown in April 2017, created the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) and allocated gas taxes to fund deferred maintenance on the State’s highways, local streets, and roads systems. The bill requires that the California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopt a performance criterion, consistent with a specified asset management plan, to ensure efficient use of certain funds available for the program. Prior to receiving funds, local agencies must annually submit a list of projects to the CTC proposed to be funded with RMRA funds. Although the CTC is not an “approving” body, the project lists will be reviewed to ensure that they include statutorily required information to establish eligibility for funding. Failure to submit a project list to the CTC and establish annual eligibility will result in forfeiture of monthly apportionments. Once forfeited, there is no process to recoup lost apportionments, and funding would then be redistributed to other eligible agencies.
SB 1 requires that the project list includes four components:
• Project Description
• The location of each proposed project
• Schedule for completion
• Estimated useful life of improvement
In addition, RMRA funds are required to be used towards projects that include, but are not limited to:
• Road maintenance and rehabilitation
• Safety improvements
• Railroad grade separations
• Traffic control devices
• Complete Street components, which include active transportation elements, pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements, transit facilities, and drainage and stormwater capture measures in conjunction with other allowable projects
California Streets and Highways Code §2034(a)(1) also stipulates that the list must be pursuant to an adopted budget (or budget amendment), approved at a public meeting, and that all projects proposed to receive funding shall be included in the City’s budget.
Analysis
The City of San Leandro has been a recipient of RMRA funds for the last ten consecutive years. It is projected that the City will receive approximately $2.5 million of RMRA funds for FY 2027.
Staff recommend that City Council approve the inclusion of the following projects on the FY 2027 RMRA Project List:
• MacArthur Roundabout
• Lake Chabot Road Stabilization and Repair (Phase 1)
• Annual Street Sealing
• Local Street Maintenance
Attachment A1 (Exhibit A to the Resolution) provides additional information on the proposed FY 2027 RMRA Project List.
Phase 1 of the Lake Chabot Road Stabilization and Repair Project will address the embankment, hillside and roadway damage at Slide Locations 1 and 4 along Lake Chabot Road caused by the 2023 Winter Storm. RMRA funds will be used to supplement funds secured through a federal grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The Local Street Maintenance Project will be performed in-house utilizing the Public Works Maintenance Division’s street services. The streets included in this Project are in addition to those that will be maintained through Public Works Engineering Division’s annual pavement management program.
The RMRA project list is neither binding nor exclusive. Including a project on the list does not obligate the City to complete the project nor does it limit the flexibility of the City to use RMRA funds toward projects not originally included on the list, so long as the project meets the eligibility criteria listed above.
Environmental Review
Repair and maintenance of existing highways and streets with no expansion of capacity is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act per §15301 class 1(c).
Financial Impacts
The City of San Leandro is expected to receive an estimated $2,551,193 in RMRA funds in FY 2027. The funding will be allocated to the accounts below to go towards the projects listed in Attachment A1. Any remaining funds will be carried over to the following fiscal year.
• SB 1 Fund, FY2027 CIP Budget: $ 851,193
• SB 1 Fund, Account 152-31-057: $1,700,000
Total: $2,551,193
This Council action will not impact the fund balance of the General Fund because adequate RMRA funds will be received to cover all project costs.
ATTACHMENTS
A: Draft Resolution RMRA Project FY 2027
A1: Exhibit A - Proposed RMRA Project List FY 2027
PREPARED BY: Erwin Ching, Engineering Manager, Public Works Department