By MATT PIKE
Officials with the city of St. Joseph are implementing a new funding strategy that will double the number of miles covered in the annual road improvement program over the next five years.
The new funding strategy comes in response to one of the top concerns identified by residents in the conducted citizen survey. The St. Joseph City Council recently approved the use of $3.46 million in Transit Sales Tax funding for street improvements, matching the $3.46 million already allocated through voter-approved Use Tax dollars for the effort.
By combining Transit Tax and Use Tax funding, the City will be able to mill and overlay 62 lane miles of streets in 2026. Work, being performed by Herzog Contracting Corp., began in May and is expected to continue through November. Streets included in this year’s mill and overlay program are located in all areas of the community.
City officials plan to pair Transit Tax funding with Use Tax dollars for five years to maximize the impact of the annual street improvement program. New Public Works Director Chance Gallagher said relying solely on Use Tax funding typically results in streets receiving milling and overlay repairs every 20 to 25 years. By adding Transit Tax funding to the program, the City hopes to reduce that timeline to approximately every 10 to 15 years.
“Working closely with finance and general services, the overlay program is getting a nice boost. More roads will be overlayed, and citizens will be able to see a difference faster,” Gallagher says in a news release from the city. “General services project managers are doing an incredible job managing the overlay program and its success.”
Residents can view the list of streets included in this year’s road mill and overlay program by visiting the Street Maintenance page on the city's website.
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