Aside from the Mike Brown resolution, the most intense action came from Public Works with their update to the Board regarding the County Bridge Maintenance and Pavement Management Programs, which provides direction to staff regarding Road Fund priorities for Program performance measures, strategies, and funding alternatives.

While Public Works has been making good progress on their bridge maintenance and update program, they are facing a number of concerns. The first is collecting the federal matching funds that have been granted, especially from FEMA. The 4 challenge with collecting the funds can cause delays or require construction loans as they move on to new projects with new costs. Even more confounding are the delays due to a very slow permitting process from other government agencies. Finally, costs are increasing dramatically year by year. This means that a project planned and approved last year for X dollars, that can’t be started until next year will experience large cost increases over the interim. The charts below, provided by Public Works, illustrate some of the cost increases.

In addition to bridge maintenance, road surface is another ongoing area of work. PCI stands for Pavement Condition Index, which measures the road surface for potholes, cracks and other failings. A brand new or freshly resurfaced road would be at or near a PCI of 100, and the statewide average is 62. Below are parameters proposed for PCI maintenance efforts:

•Board set PCI targets by Road classification:
• Urban – Good or better (55 min PCI)
• Suburban – Good or better (55 min PCI)
• Rural – Fair or better (35 min PCI)
• 2/3 of roads met targets; Avg PCI = 59•$5.5M in budget requests, $1.3M approved.

In the discussion of bridge maintenance, Supervisor Paulding raised a situation in his district in rural south county where two adjacent bridges are slated for construction in the near future, but the order in which they will be done will create gridlock. He was able to convince Public Works to reexamine the order of the work and likely make the adjustments necessary to improve traffic flow during construction. Lingering in the background of these discussions was the prospect of a sales tax measure that would provide needed funding as well as extra qualification for state grants. While such a measure has yet to be formally discussed, many people are floating the concept. It remains to be seen whether such a measure would prioritize road improvement or whether it would be carved up into chunks for bike paths, mass transit and homeless services.

The County has declared the Month of May its Affordable Housing Month. According to the County, “affordable Housing Month provides an opportunity to raise awareness of housing” and puts a focus on “challenges faced by many in our community to promote policies and initiatives that expand access to safe and affordable housing for all residents”. The County goes on; “safe, stable, and affordable housing is a fundamental necessity for individuals and families, and provides the foundation of health, economic stability, and community well-being”. Further, “San Luis Obispo County, like many communities across California, faces a significant housing affordability crisis, with rising costs placing homeownership and rental housing out of reach for many residents, including low-income families, seniors, veterans, and essential workers”.
The County then cites the following: “ According to data provided by the US Census, 66% of very low and low income households and 37% of all households in San Luis Obispo County experience housing insecurity, highlighting the urgent need for affordable housing solutions”.
Hopefully the month of May inspires reflection by policy makers on the regulatory and permitting costs that the County imposes on housing development – making housing expensive.