The Tumwater City Council approved the Transportation Benefit District 2024 annual report after a presentation by Brandon Hicks, the cityTransportation and Engineering Director.

Hicks told the council the report is required by state law and details construction schedules, expenditures and revenues. He said the TBD did not run a stand-alone pavement maintenance project in 2024, citing staff capacity and a strategic decision to build funds for larger future projects. "We did still get some work done," Hicks said, and summarized the year's construction and design work.

The presentation listed two construction projects funded in part by the TBD: the Interstate 5/Prosper Road/Capitol Boulevard reconfiguration and the Israel Road/Linderson Way pedestrian and bicycle improvements. For 2024 Hicks reported approximately 4 lane miles repaved, about 5,300 tons of hot-mix asphalt placed, roughly 6,700 square yards of pavement repair, 3 lane miles of striping, 4,000 raised pavement markers installed, and about three-quarters of a mile of new bike lanes.

Hicks also described design work completed on Linwood Avenue and on the Second Avenue pedestrian and bike improvements project. He said much of the Linwood Avenue quantities will be reported in the 2025 annual report because final data was completed after year-end.

On finance, Hicks said the TBD started 2024 with about $4,085,000; revenues for the year were about $2,600,000 and expenditures a little over $3,000,000, leaving an ending fund balance of about $3,700,000. He warned that lower sales tax revenue and planned projects could reduce the balance substantially in 2025 and that the balance could fall to "as low as a million dollars" by year-end depending on project schedules.

A councilmember asked whether the city has incorporated sustainable materials and other emerging technologies into procurement. Hicks said the city follows state specifications and that recycled materials are commonly accepted where they meet spec, including recycled concrete aggregate and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP). He said staff would research other materials and welcomed follow-up discussion on draft specifications.

The council moved and approved the annual report by voice vote. The action authorized issuing the report to the public as required by statute; the meeting record shows a voice vote and the mayor called the motion carried.

The city's transportation staff indicated a pavement maintenance project is budgeted for the upcoming year and that construction work is already under contract for some segments.