The Washington County Coordinating Committee (WCCC) heard this week that looming finances shortfalls may affect a decades-old county transportation funding mechanism.
At Tuesday’s WCCC session, Stephen Roberts, Washington County Director of Land Use & Transportation, reported that county “transportation and different group wants proceed to exceed obtainable funding.”
The WCCC advises the county Board of Commissioners on regional transportation and land use planning, and consists of elected representatives from cities within the county and the county itself. One in every of its roles is to advocate MSTIP (Main Streets Transportation Enchancment Program) initiatives to the Board of Commissioners.
MSTIP is a funding mechanism distinctive to Washington County and has a five-year funding cycle. Space transportation departments have submitted 25 initiatives for consideration for the present 2023-28 spherical. Understanding MSTIP’s historical past helps to clarify the current funding conundrum. It started as a voter-approved capital levy, however in response to the 1997 tax revolt Measure 50, Washington County rolled the levy into their everlasting property tax, with the consequence that the funds focused for transportation had been positioned within the basic fund.
There was religion settlement between the cities and county for the previous many years that this cash could be transferred yearly from the overall fund to MSTIP. With this yr’s finances hole, nonetheless, the Commissioners have been suggested to develop “methods for mitigating a possible FY 2023-24 Basic Fund switch discount and challenge price escalation.” In different phrases, Washington County wants a few of that cash, which in previous years would have gone to MSTIP, to shut different finances gaps.
MSTIP has funded 150 miles of motorbike lanes and sidewalks, and greater than 150 initiatives totaling $900 million since 1986. This yr, Tigard, Beaverton, Hillsboro have initiatives into consideration for for 2023-2028 MSTIP funding. A type of initiatives is Tigard’s Greenburg Rd full avenue rebuild, which BikePortland reported about final fall.
However initiatives authorized within the two earlier MSTIP funding cycles, 2012 (3d) and 2016 (3e), are additionally placing strain on transportation funding. Due to cost-escalation, it’s anticipated that the county might be obliged to cowl a further $70M to finish the remaining initiatives.
A type of initiatives, the SW Multnomah Blvd / Backyard Residence Street Intersection Security Venture has $1 million in MSTIP funding and $1.2 million from Portland System Improvement expenses allotted to it. However the challenge, which is managed by the Portland Bureau of Transportation, has languished within the design part for years, and has “been placed on maintain till extra funding may be secured.” Now that MSTIP funding can be up within the air, the challenge shortfall on the Portland finish may provide a handy approach of suspending the challenge indefinitely.
This yr, MSTIP was forecast to supply $140 million, to be divided evenly among the many 4 Washington County districts, making $35 million per district. There’s nonetheless a lot uncertainty, and relying on how a lot cash Washington County Board of Commissioners decides to not switch out of its basic fund to MSTIP, capital transportation funding may very well be dealing with very lean instances.
Roberts beneficial that “it’s well timed now to speculate a comparatively small quantity of funding to start challenge improvement for a number of new initiatives whereas persevering with to ship beforehand dedicated 3d, 3e and Bonding Value-sharing initiatives.” And he emphasised that the funding points had been of each short-term and long-term concern.
In March, the county could have work session briefings on MSTIP and the Capital Enchancment Plan. Roberts stated that coverage choices will must be made and that “fairness focus and group engagement are key for prioritizing the allocation of restricted funding.”
Lisa Caballero has lived in SW Portland for over 20 years. She is on the Transportation Committee of her neighborhood affiliation, the Southwest Hills Residential League (SWHRL) and may be reached at lisacaballero853@gmail.com.
