Town Of Moraga

Revenue Enhancement Community Outreach to Neighborhoods (RECON) Committee

Moraga Residents Support Sales Tax Measure to Fix Roads

According to a recently completed, independent survey of Moraga residents, over 60% of voters would like to see the following improvements made to the Town’s streets and roads: “repair potholes and cracks;” “keep streets from falling into disrepair;” “rebuild and repave Town streets;” “fix streets in every neighborhood” and “prevent potholes from occurring.” The survey clearly indicated that fixing local streets and roads was the top priority for local residents. According to the survey, Moragans would support a local, Town of Moraga, one-cent sales tax Measure to preserve and maintain Town services and help repair streets and roads. The RECON committee is now working with Town residents to develop a fiscally responsible plan for consideration on the November 2012 ballot. Any plan presented to the community will include independent financial audits, citizens’ oversight and a sunset clause. All funds would remain local, and could not be taken by the State.

RECON Committee

A recently released report (the “Pothole Report”) of the nine counties in the Bay Area placed Moraga roads in the “At Risk” category—one of the two lowest rankings possible. This means that Moraga’s streets are on the verge of failure, suffering from large potholes and cracks, which will turn in to major breaks and sinkholes if not addressed.

Given our fiscally conservative budget, which provides for primarily essential services, we do not have the resources to adequately maintain our infrastructure. The current backlog of work that is needed is estimated at around $25 million. Even with the tightening of belts it is simply not possible to find that money in our annual budget.

Residents have become increasingly surprised and frustrated when discussing why Moraga roads continue to decline at such an alarming rate. Part of the answer lies with the Town’s fiscal realities. Moraga receives much lower revenues, including property tax and sales tax, compared to other communities.

Because of the minimal revenue that the Town receives, there is relatively no chance for increased spending on neighborhood roads.  This is why the Town needs the help of residents to create a community-wide discussion about the road conditions and the fiscal options available to fix them.

The Town needs help to spread the word about the condition of the neighborhood roads and an open discussion of the options that the residents may have in future funding of a long-term repair strategy.  That is why the Town created the Revenue Enhancement Community Outreach to Neighborhoods (RECON) Committee. 

The RECON Committee's Three Main Goals

1.  To inform residents of the worsening conditions of local roads;

2.  To work with residents to determine what infrastructure improvements the community feels are necessary; and

3.  To help residents determine what type of funding mechanism would be most effective to achieve these improvements.

How Bad Are Our Streets, Really?

Currently, most residents find the streets mildly annoying.  You just drive around that dip, or curse that pothole, right?  Unfortunately those cracks, dips, and potholes are merely the symptoms of underlying failures that are getting worse.  The two maps here show the neighborhood street conditions - as they are currently and as the computer models project them to be in ten years.  Ten years from now, you will have a much harder time avoiding those potholes.

Neighborhood Streets - Current Conditions

Neighborhood Streets - Ten Year Projection

How You Can Help

The RECON Committee is looking to for volunteers to host a gathering of friends and neighbors to discuss the condition of our neighborhood streets and what we, as a community, can do to fix them.  If you would like more information on hosting, please contact Ellen Beans at ellen.beans@gmail.com.

For more information, please e-mail the Committee at recon@moraga.ca.us.

Articles

Urgent Issues Part 1 - Local Road Conditions

Urgent Issues Part 2 - Why Does Moraga Receive So Little From Taxes?

Urgent Issues Part 3 - How You Can Help 

Important Documents

Results of Community Survey to Repair Moraga Roads

Metropolitan Transportation Commission: The Pothole Report

Moraga's Roads "At Risk" Presentation

Press Release Regarding Community Survey

Frequently Asked Questions

February 2011 Presentation to Town Council

July 2010 Presentation to Town Council

Revenue Enhancement Committe Final Report to Council – Nov 2009

Members