Vallejo’s Measure P committee rejects $12M repaving request

VALLEJO – The Vallejo Measure P Oversight Committee turned down a $12 million request from the City Council to supplement street repaving programs through 2026, saying the council must clarify its priorities for when to use funds.

The committee rejected the request 1-4, with Commissioner Regina Briseno in favor. Commissioners said the City Council must be clear about its plans for using the 2022 sales tax measure dollars rather than sending so many large funding requests.

Although one of Measure P’s key objectives is to improve Vallejo’s deteriorating road conditions, the oversight committee said it cannot continue to approve large sums of money when there are so many requests to use the funds for other purposes the city cannot cover. The committee only makes recommendations and the City Council will make the final spending decision.

The $12 million request for next year comes soon after the committee already recommended $10 million for the city to finish paving programs slated for the current year. Last year, the City Council authorized staff to pursue a bond issuance of up to $120 million to cover nine years of street improvements, which would be paid off over the next several decades using Measure P revenue.

A report presented Tuesday from former public works director Melissa Tigbao, who recently left the city, described how the $12 million would cover two paving packages: one focusing on local and residential streets and the other focusing on the conditions of major arterial streets. Vallejo’s transportation program superintendent Mark Helmbrecht presented the report, saying the project would begin later this year if approved. 

Due to the long lead times needed to design, bid and award contracts before the paving season, and increasing construction costs, Helmbrecht said the request comes in order to ensure that funding is secured ahead of time. 

“To sustain this momentum and avoid escalating infrastructure costs, consistent yearly funding is essential,” Tigbao’s report noted. ”A portion of these funds will be required this fall and winter to complete the engineering and bid packages.”

Several committee members disapproved of using Measure P funds this way when other capital street paving projects have not been finalized on time. Chair Jasmine Salmeron said she’s concerned that the committee’s recently approved $10 million package has not yet led to progress on repaving work scheduled through this year. 

Noting that the public works director recently left, Salmeron asked if the plan could change when a new director arrives. Helmbrecht said that street maintenance is so fundamental to the department’s focus that he thinks it unlikely that a director would upend the plan. 

Salmeron, who voted against the request, said that city staff and the City Council could better explain funding decisions from the last year that brought it to this point and present a proper funding strategy for the coming years. 

“It’s hard to keep up with all of these different requests that keep coming to us piecemeal,” she said. 

Commissioner Brien Farrell voted against the request, saying he can’t support the measure without accelerated work from the council to prove why it must be done this way. “That’s the only way we’re going to make progress on our many, many unmet needs in a strategic way.”

“These chunks matter,” he said, noting the city’s preference to lock in funds for long term investments rather than annual allocations. 

“I think the voters are entitled to more specificity from the council,” Farrell said. “I’m not comfortable myself supporting such a large allocation without some preliminary strategic planning from the council about how we should prioritize the requests coming to us.”

The committee did, however, unanimously approve spending $700,000 of Measure P dollars on a traffic calming program, after not having one for more than a decade. The City Council last year approved using $300,000 in gas tax revenue to begin calming measures within the current and upcoming fiscal year. 

However, Helmbrecht said the growing list of deferred requests may need up to a decade to complete. He said the funds will enable staff to carry out a “Vision Zero” plan - focusing on data-driven, human-centered design to reduce speeds, better integrate cyclists and pedestrians and stop traffic fatalities. 

Helmbrecht told Vallejo Sun in an email that he understands the committee’s desire for more input and direction from the council about an overall investment strategy for allocating Measure P revenue. 

However, he added, “While public works staff share these aspirations, concern was raised that this incorporating of all these overlays requires comprehensive planning and will take time which could undermine the speed of street rehabilitation work.”