Cloverdale council debates Measure DD street priorities, financing and ADA costs
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Summary
Public works presented Measure DD revenue projections and procurement thresholds; councilors debated priorities (highly traveled arterials vs. preventative maintenance), whether to borrow to finance multi-year work, and asked staff to return with candidate-project lists and financing scenarios.
Cloverdale — City staff presented a programmatic approach for spending Measure DD revenue on pavement rehabilitation and ADA upgrades, and council members debated how best to prioritize projects and whether to borrow to capture economies of scale.
Public Works Director Derek Montani outlined the tax (a voter-approved three-quarter-cent sales tax effective April 1, 2025), citing a forecasted annual revenue of $1,600,000 and an estimated usable revenue of roughly $1.2 million because of quarterly receipts; he reported that the city had received $365,606.70 of Measure DD receipts as of December. Montani said the PTAP pavement report should guide selection and noted procurement thresholds under California’s uniform cost accounting rules: force-account work up to $75,000, informal bid up to $220,000, and formal bid above $220,000.
Council members raised competing priorities. Some urged focusing on the worst roads that materially affect safety and vehicles — Jefferson, 1st Street and Triplet were named repeatedly — while others favored preventative maintenance to save long-term costs. Vice Mayor Lance and other councilors suggested revisiting a previously modeled financing option (a 5-year capital-financing approach) so the city could bundle projects and reduce mobilization and engineering costs. Concerns were raised about soft costs; one councilor said a quoted $60,000 engineering price for four ADA ramps appeared insufficient for comprehensive design work.
Council direction: staff to develop a draft list of candidate streets and present financing scenarios (pay-as-you-go and multiple loan terms) and estimated soft costs so council can set priorities and a multi-year budget. Staff also will provide sample yard signs and public-engagement materials for transparency when projects move forward.
What’s next: Council expects staff to return with a prioritized project list, estimated costs including soft/design components, and options for debt financing versus pay-as-you-go.
