Fillmore approves Willdan task order after AI pavement survey to prioritize street repairs

The Fillmore City Council approved a Willdan Engineering task order to design the city's annual pavement-improvement project after staff presented results from a new AI-driven pavement condition survey.

Public works described how a camera-driven dataset processed by an AI vendor produced a pavement condition index across city streets; the public works team and Willdan will "truth" that map with targeted field checks before finalizing the project's design list. City staff said the map shows segments ranging from "good" to "serious" condition and that maintenance options (slurry seal, cape seal) can extend pavement life while rehabilitation (milling and overlay) costs much more.

The design task order for Willdan was presented as part of a previously budgeted project; staff said design, inspection and construction management were included in the city's budget allocation and the proposed design fee would not exceed $68,095. Councilmembers asked whether the map could be published; staff said they would prepare an educational video and a user-friendly summary for the public rather than posting a raw color-coded map that might be misread as a schedule.

The council approved the Willdan task order by voice vote. Staff said project selection and scheduling will consider utilization (arterials vs. residential), ADA ramp upgrades triggered by any street work and permitting constraints on certain segments near state highways.

Reporting note: technical terms and the design fee amount are taken from the staff presentation and the council motion recorded in the transcript.