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Cities urge state to protect local transportation funding, spotlight small-city needs
Summary
Association of Washington Cities told the Senate Transportation Committee that cities carry the majority of day‑to‑day street responsibilities and face long‑running revenue constraints, urging state partners to prioritize preservation and maintenance funding and to consider revenue changes as gas tax revenue erodes.
Carl Schroeder, government relations deputy director at the Association of Washington Cities, told the Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 23 that cities maintain a large share of the state’s streets and face chronic funding limits.
"We view it as a holistic and connected system," Schroeder said, adding that cities manage not only pavement but the utilities, lighting and sidewalks that must be planned and paid for alongside streets.
Schroeder said Washington’s 281 cities house roughly 65% of the state’s population and together maintain about 25,000 lane miles of local streets — roughly 26% of statewide lane miles. He emphasized the uneven fiscal capacity across cities: more than half of Washington’s cities have fewer than 5,000 residents and roughly half of cities have annual transportation budgets under $500,000, with 40% under $250,000.
Those limits matter because most city transportation spending is local. Schroeder told the committee that about 70% of a typical city project is funded locally, 21% by the state and 9.5% by the federal government. He said the property tax — capped at 1% growth for 25 years — has constrained cities’ ability to maintain basic infrastructure.
Schroeder urged the legislature to sustain programs that target small and mid‑sized cities, highlighting the Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) as a major state partner. He also told senators the Association supports exploring alternatives to the gas tax — including road usage charging and targeted sales‑tax transfers — while ensuring any new revenue mechanism preserves current city and county shares.
Schroeder named several statewide programs and priorities he expects the association to watch this year: continued funding for TIB, safe routes to school and pedestrian/bicycle safety programs; more support for preservation and maintenance; and funding to address culverts and fish barriers. He thanked the committee for recent investments, including Move Ahead Washington, while urging dedicated funds for long‑term preservation planning.
The presentation included a cost example Schroeder said cities face: he said a typical urban lane mile carries roughly a $16,000,000 cost when utilities and other systems under the street are included. Schroeder also flagged the Transportation Benefit District authority as an increasingly common local tool to supplement traditional local revenues.
Schroeder said the association will follow committee questions on electric‑vehicle charging and other operational matters and supply follow‑up data to senators on specific inquiries.
Ending: The Association of Washington Cities concluded by asking the committee to weigh the balance of state and local responsibilities as the gas tax base declines and to consider targeted, sustained funding for local preservation and maintenance.
