City proposes STP and street maintenance plan: target slurry seals and Oak Ridge work

City staff walked the council through a street maintenance five‑year plan that sets targeted slurry‑seal areas, routine maintenance tasks and a proposed use of the state Surface Transportation Program (STP) funds for smaller local street projects.

Staff said the city has narrowed its slurry‑seal areas (detailed maps on pages 18–19 of the packet) to produce better cost estimates for 2026 and 2027 work and beyond. Routine annual maintenance activities—slurry seals, asphalt patching, hired asphalt repairs, curb and gutter work, striping and signs—remain part of the maintenance program.

Staff proposed dedicating STP money (federal dollars routed through the state; staff reported the city typically receives about $450,000 per year) to complete streets in neighborhoods such as North Oak Ridge, Yellowstone, Needles and the Teton area. The proposal calls for using the annual STP allocation to do one street a year or one street every other year in those neighborhoods; staff said the north Oak Ridge project would be above‑ground work (road, curb, gutter, sidewalks) because underground utilities there generally tested as adequate.

Chief among the reasons to use STP for local projects, staff said, is that the STP allocation is federal money with usage restrictions and is currently available each May when the city receives the funds. Staff cautioned that state program rules and federal approval could affect final uses, and that staff reaches out yearly to confirm the program’s availability. Council asked when state funds are confirmed; staff said the city typically receives STP distributions in May each year and would incorporate the receipts into budget planning.

Ending: Staff will return with refined cost estimates for the listed slurry seal areas and a draft plan to allocate STP funds for the Oak Ridge/Yellowstone/Needles/Teton streets so council can incorporate the funding into the CIP and budget deliberations.