Council sets aside $500,000 seed funding for pavement-management software and data collection

The council approved $500,000 to seed a pavement-management software procurement and pay for associated roadway condition data collection intended to support future bond planning and maintenance prioritization.

Public Works staff said the funding will pay for two linked elements: (1) a pavement-management software package to model pavement condition and deterioration curves and (2) field data collection that provides the condition inputs for that software. The RFP for the work is in final draft and staff said it will be advertised in the next month or two. Staff said the data-collection component will likely be the largest cost driver and that estimates were based on what other cities have paid.

During discussion a staff member explained that the pavement condition index (PCI) produced by the software will allow the city to show policy makers how different levels of investment (for example, 50 projects vs. 100 projects) affect systemwide PCI scores over time. Staff said the tool will be used for bond planning, helping convert a long list of candidate projects into a prioritized list.

Staff described the $500,000 as a "ballpark" figure derived from months of research; the estimate includes both expected per-mile collection costs and the software package itself. In the meeting staff said vendors had cited data-collection charges they described as about "$7 per mile" as a reference for current market pricing, and staff said some vendors have quoted software packages costing "in the hundreds of thousands." The RFP had not yet been released when the item was discussed.

Councilmembers asked whether the city would seek other funding sources if proposals exceeded $500,000; staff replied that additional funds could be taken from the general fund or other streams if necessary. The motion to set aside $500,000 was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote; the transcript does not record a roll-call tally.