Public Works and Natural Resources Committee, City of Bellingham

**Pavement Condition Index and Road Preservation Strategy** Assistant Public Works Director Mike Wilson provided a contextual briefing on the city's Pavement Condition Index program before the committee voted on the overlay contract. The PCI is a 0–100 scale measuring road surface distress — including alligator cracking, fatigue cracking, and approximately 20 other distress types — assessed using specialized equipment operated by a contracted firm. Individual road segments receive scores that are then compiled into a citywide average. Bellingham's citywide average PCI has declined from 72.1 in 2012 to 69.0 in 2016 to 64.8 in 2021. Staff noted the city targets a range of 40–70, ideally near 70, which represents the "fair" category. The financial rationale is significant: full road reconstruction costs roughly four times more per unit than preservation treatments like overlays or crack sealing. Cities that fall below a PCI of 40–50 find it extremely difficult to recover without enormous capital investment — staff cited Seattle and Spokane as examples of cities where delayed pavement management created deep backlogs. A new citywide PCI assessment is currently underway, contracted with IMS (a national firm using truck-mounted laser systems). Results are expected before year-end 2024, and staff noted the data will feed into the city's internal "ARC Committee" (Asset Risk and Condition Committee, formerly called the PERC Committee) to inform decisions about which streets to bundle into overlay projects versus utility-driven paving programs. Council Member Stone noted that this PCI data would be particularly valuable context heading into the city's budget cycle. Council Member Huthman asked how Bellingham compares to peer cities; staff responded that 70 is the national standard goal, Washington State's average is approximately 60, and newer/smaller cities tend to score higher than older urban centers. **Third-Party Utility Excavations and Right-of-Way Patching** Council Member Anderson raised a constituent concern about streets in the Puget neighborhood where Puget Sound Energy (PSE) had excavated the roadway and performed temporary patching, with a full repair deferred. She asked how the city monitors third-party excavations and how long contractors remain liable for their work. Staff explained that all right-of-way excavations require a city permit with specifications for trench restoration. The city uses Trakit permitting software to create "tickle file" reminders that prompt inspectors to revisit sites — typically around the ten-month mark — before issuing final sign-off. Staff indicated there is a one-year bond period during which contractors remain on the hook for repairs. Staff confirmed this is the current practice; no formal action was requested or taken on this item. **Bicycle Locker Program: Rules, Rates, Equity, and Security** The bike locker discussion surfaced several distinct policy concerns: *Fee Structure and App Economics:* Staff explained the Movatic app charges a 6% transaction fee plus a $0.30 flat trans…

**Council Member Hannah Stone (Chair):** Supportive of both items. Raised forward-looking questions about PCI data and the budget cycle, the permanence of locker locations and potential expansion to the library plaza, and the equity implications of the locker use rules for community members without housing. Noted the mayor and another attendee (Janice) had stepped out before the equity question was fully resolved and indicated she would follow up on the question of which department would lead any discussion about general storage lockers as a separate policy matter. **Council Member Lisa Anderson:** Moved both items to approval. Praised the inclusion of apprenticeship hour requirements in contract preambles as a transparency and community benefit measure. Raised substantive concerns about the bike locker program: the transaction fee structure (resolved by staff clarification), the risk of monopolization by a small number of users in a limited inventory, and data security/liability exposure for the city and users through the Movatic app. Anderson disclosed a personal recent experience with credit card fraud through a third-party application. **Council Member Hollie Huthman (sitting in):** Asked questions about PCI comparisons to peer cities, hardware/software interoperability for the bike lockers, and expressed general support for both items. **Joel Pfundt, Interim Public Works Director:** Presented both items, provided backgr…

**Council Member Lisa Anderson, on apprenticeship requirements in contracts:** "I really appreciate the continuation of listing apprenticeships and apprenticeship hours at the preamble. I think it's important for the community to see that, that is a strong factor coming from these contracts." **Mike Wilson, on the cost of delayed pavement maintenance:** "It costs four times as much, basically, to reconstruct an entire road. And so if we can do preservation through overlays or slurry seals or —…

**Before this meeting:** - No contract had been awarded for the 2024 Neighborhood Overlays project. - The city's parking rate schedule (Resolution 2022-24) did not include a bike locker user fee. - The Bicycle Locker Program had no authorized fee structure. **After this meeting:** - The committee recommended, 3-0, that the full Council award the Neighborhood Overlays contract to Granite Construction Company for $1,813,923.86. Full Council action was scheduled for the same evening. - The committee recommended, 3-0, that the full Council adopt a resolution adding a bike locker user fee ($0.05/hour for up to 10 days; $0.12/ho…

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