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County maps options to close $20M–$30M roads funding gap; study to return by Jan. 2027
Summary
County staff told supervisors the local pavement condition index is 57 and holding it would cost roughly $29.5 million a year. Supervisors directed a technical study into revenue tools (impact fees, parcel assessments, local taxes) and matched spending priorities; staff will return with a funding strategy by January 2027.
Santa Cruz County officials told supervisors on June 30 that the county's pavement condition index (PCI) is 57 and that maintaining that level will require roughly $29.5 million a year at current pricing. County staff said current locally controlled transportation revenue averages about $22.4 million per year, leaving a long-term funding gap that could be $20–$23 million annually after accounting for some offsetting work and reimbursements.
Assistant Director Steve Weezner and Ryan Friedrich of the CEO's office presented a menu of potential revenue mechanisms including development impact fees (no public vote but use-limited), a range of parcel/benefit-assessment approaches (special taxes, benefit zones, CSAs), community facility or assessment districts, and the broad option of a local transportation sales tax that would require a two-thirds voter approval under state law. Friedrich said a model scenario tied to a local sales tax would yield about $11 million a year based on analogs in recent local measures.
The presentation stressed that PCI is a visible measure but not the only asset priority: road structural sections, storm drains, culverts, and bridges also drive deterioration and safety. Chief arguments from staff: investment is required not only for pavement resurfacing but for operations, storm-damage response and capital safety upgrades. Staff also highlighted that $198 million of the county's prior transportation spend since 2017 was storm-response related and that local money is often needed to match grant-funded capital projects.
The board accepted the report and directed the CEO and Community Development & Infrastructure to complete a transportation funding study with outside technical support, produce a study-session level technical memo and return with recommendations and next steps no later than January 2027. The study will include case studies for area- or zone-based assessments and options for how new revenues might be allocated across pavement management, storm repair, road operations and multimodal capital improvements.
Supervisor Koenig, among others, emphasized the importance of addressing culverts and drainage proactively, noting that preventative replacement can be less expensive than post-failure repairs; Supervisor Cummings asked that any final plan include concrete examples of how zone-based assessments would work for neighborhoods.
Next steps: the county will begin a consultant-led study this summer and present draft recommendations and case studies to the board in late 2026 with a final report and next-step decision timeline by January 2027.
