Council forwards multiple transportation and public-works items, schedules TBD sales-tax renewal for voters

The Shelton City Council on April 1 voted unanimously to move several transportation and public-works measures to its April 15 action agenda and placed one pedestrian-safety resolution on the table for immediate adoption.

The measures include an amendment to the city’s striping maintenance agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), a contract amendment for design and construction assistance on a satellite reclaimed-water tank, advancing design work tied to a set of pedestrian and roadway grants, and a resolution to place a 0.2% Transportation Benefit District (TBD) sales-tax renewal on a future ballot. Council members also adopted a resolution to fund design work for a midblock crossing at Oakland Bay Junior High.

Why it matters: the actions preserve grant matches and scheduled construction windows for projects the city says are needed to stabilize road conditions and to fund maintenance and safety projects. The TBD renewal would replace an existing 0.2% sales-tax that the city says expires in February 2026 and currently contributes about $741,169 a year to the street fund.

Public-works directors described the practical need and cost structure tied to each item. Jay Harris, the city’s public-works director, told the council the striping agreement with WSDOT restored reliable annual restriping after years of inconsistent contractor service; the city budgets roughly $17,000–$20,000 a year for restriping. ‘‘Prior to 2018, the city was using a contract striping company ... it got late in the year and they couldn’t get the roads scribed,’’ Harris said, explaining why the city shifted to a WSDOT arrangement.

Assistant Public Works Director Bernard Armstrong recapped contract amendment No. 5 with Grain Osborne Inc. for the reclaimed-water tank project. Armstrong said the amendment covers remaining electrical and SCADA integration, bidding support and construction assistance, and that the amendment extends the consultant contract through June 2026. He said the amendment includes roughly $43,661 for final design work plus about $280,000 for construction assistance.

Council discussion also addressed a larger set of pedestrian and roadway grants. Assistant Public Works Director Aaron Nicks said the city combined two grants so one project could serve as the local match for another: a ‘‘systemic pedestrian improvement’’ award (about $1.3 million) plus a Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) grant (roughly $3.7 million), for about $5 million in total funding. Nicks said the scope includes intersection work on Olympic Highway North and South, rapid flashing beacons at West Railroad Avenue and Third Street and a signal evaluation at West Railroad Avenue and Seventh Street. He said the city has run an RFQ and interviewed consultants and intends to present a design contract at the next meeting to meet construction windows.

Separately, staff asked the council to place a resolution on the April 15 action agenda asking voters to renew the TBD sales tax of two-tenths of 1 percent. City staff said the tax generated about $741,169 in 2024 and that the current authorization expires in February 2026. The council voted to place the resolution on the April 15 agenda for final consideration.

Votes at a glance: the council recorded unanimous votes to move most items to the April 15 action agenda and adopted one design resolution during the April 1 meeting. The votes and motions recorded in the meeting transcript are summarized below.

• Resolution 1366-1224 (WSDOT striping maintenance agreement amendment): Motion to place on April 15 action agenda; outcome — forwarded to April 15 action agenda; vote: unanimous (aye).

• Resolution 1374-0325 (Contract amendment No. 5 with Grain Osborne Inc. for reclaimed-water tank design and construction assistance): Motion to place on April 15 action agenda; outcome — forwarded to April 15 action agenda; vote: unanimous (aye).

• Pedestrian/roadway grants and consultant selection (systemic pedestrian improvements plus TIB repave project): Motion to forward proposed design contract to April 15 action agenda for approval; outcome — forwarded to April 15 action agenda; vote: unanimous (aye).

• Resolution 1376-0325 (TBD sales-tax renewal ballot proposition, 0.2%): Motion to place on April 15 action agenda; outcome — forwarded to April 15 action agenda; vote: unanimous (aye).

• Resolution 1350-0924 (Midblock pedestrian improvements at Oakland Bay Junior High — public-works on-call consultant work order for design and bidding): Motion to adopt; outcome — adopted; vote: unanimous (aye).

What officials said and next steps: staff emphasized timing constraints tied to federal and state grant windows and to local construction seasons. Nicks said design work must advance immediately to meet next year’s construction window; Harris said the striping contract provides more reliable annual service than previous private contractors. The reclaimed-water tank project was described as both a capacity increase and a future resource for industrial users and irrigation; staff said the new tank will be substantially larger than the existing tank and would allow expansion of reclaimed-water service near Sanderson Field.

No final contracts or ordinance adoptions were recorded on April 1; the council’s votes were procedural (placing items on the April 15 action agenda) except for the midblock design resolution, which the council adopted. Formal approvals, budgets and contract signatures are expected to appear on the April 15 agenda or in subsequent bid-award actions.

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