Money devoted to Denton streets is “significantly less than required” to properly maintain them, and the problem will only escalate unless steps are taken to boost funding and raise design standards, according to a recent report to the City Council.

Barron Ludlum

City officials say they get the most complaints about the condition of Mayhill Road. “It is shocking the condition some of our roads are in, and if there’s one thing all the council members get calls about, it is the condition of our streets,” Denton Mayor Pro Tem Pete Kamp said.

“Unless major changes in the street maintenance program are made soon, the street system will deteriorate to an unacceptable level and reasonable options for addressing the issue may not be available,” the report states. Water Utilities Director Jim Coulter, who oversees Denton streets, prepared the report for the City Council.

The state of aging streets has long been a sore spot for Denton residents, who regularly complain of problems along the city’s 1,300 miles of traffic lanes.

A 2004 study found Denton’s overall street condition at 70 percent, with 100 percent being perfect and 74 percent being the regional average.

“It is shocking the condition some of our roads are in, and if there’s one thing all the council members get calls about, it is the condition of our streets,” Mayor Pro Tem Pete Kamp said. “Citi­zens should expect their streets to be repaired and in good condition. The unfortunate fact is that we do not have the funding to even keep up with the repairs.”

Coulter’s report, issued for a Jan. 9 council work session, says the city spends about $2.5 million per year on street maintenance but should be spending about $18.2 million, an annual shortfall of nearly $16 million.

But during the Jan. 9 meeting, council members said the $2.5 million figure only included funds from the city’s annual operations and maintenance budget. If supplemental funding from bond programs and other sources is included, they said, the shortfall shrinks considerably.

Funding for Denton streets has increased every year since 1998, and more than $5 million is earmarked for 2007.

Still, officials agree that more money is needed and that finding it will be tough.

The report calls for more than $95 million in funding over the next 10 years. It also aims to increase the city’s yearly street repair budget to $15 million by 2017.

Council member Guy McElroy said the money would be hard to come by, since the city is “strapped for funds.”

Mayor Perry McNeill said just about any option is on the table except a road maintenance fee. A proposal in 2004 to charge residents and businesses such a fee to pay for street repairs drew criticism, and the plan is unlikely to resurface, he said.

“It’s an impending challenge, and citizens are unhappy — and rightly so — with the condition of streets,” McNeill said. “It makes economic sense that if we can do a little repair now, we can save a lot of money in the future” by not having to replace roads.

“We’ve got to find the funds to do that,” he said.

Other possibilities include:

* Property tax increases;

* Reallocating funds from other sources;

* Using revenue generated from gas drilling on city property;

* And increasing inspection fees charged to developers.

Another option could be a voter-approved sales tax increase of 0.5 percent for road repairs. But that would require the Texas Legislature to pass a law exempting transit projects from the sales tax cap.

Many North Texas cities that have reached the cap are pushing for such a law to allow them leeway to join regional transit groups such as the Denton County Transportation Authority.

For Denton, which already is a DCTA member, the legislation would free up revenue for other purposes, including road repairs, if local voters authorized the tax increase.

City officials years ago considered using sales tax revenue for road repairs but dedicated the money to DCTA instead, McNeill said.

“What are the best options?” he said. “It may be a combination of all of that.”

In addition to increased spending, city officials are investigating ways to improve street design standards, construction methods, inspections and testing.

They are even considering legal action to force developers to pay for repairs to substandard roads in some housing developments, McNeill said.

Officials plan to bring together a stakeholder group to discuss the possibilities and bring final recommendations to the council by late summer, Coulter said.

Resident Tim Tyran suggested other options, including directing revenue from red-light camera violations to road repairs. The money currently is earmarked for public safety improvements.

Tyran also supports better construction standards, saying the city should “pass on more of this road responsibility to the developers.”

“Denton is a great city with tons of potential of becoming even greater,” he said in an e-mail. “But when the biggest complaint from its residents is traffic and the state of the roads, I would look under every rock and turn over every barrel to make sure the streets are given the priority they require and deserve.”

LOWELL BROWN can be reached at 940-566-6882. His e-mail address is lmbrown@dentonrc.com .