A step forward in solving Corpus Christi's street problem

CORPUS CHRISTI - The City Council took a step Tuesday toward reversing three decades of neglectful street maintenance. How decisive a step? That's difficult to decide.

The council resolved, 8-1, to work toward approving a street user fee to fund street maintenance. "Work toward approving" are words chosen carefully by Caller-Times reporter Jessica Savage. They mean the council is headed in that direction, not that the council approved the fee. As District 2 Councilman John Marez said: "We still have a lot of details to work out."

By when? Well, City Manager Ron Olson says the staff will have a user fee estimate by Dec. 31. It could appear on utility bills by Aug. 1.

The council election is Nov. 6. Is it a cheap shot to point that out — to hint that the council has kicked a can down a pothole-pitted road? That's difficult to decide.

The council has been haggling this issue since January, when a special mayoral committee recommended the fee and that it be high enough to generate $55 million a year. The committee said the streets needed more than $1.2 billion in work. It's understandable that council members suffered sticker shock. They were confused and skeptical. Their questioning led to a revision of the estimate to $967 million. How does the old saying go? A hundred million here, a hundred million there ...

It was a huge change, owing to the council's inquisitiveness — and the city manager's. They should be commended. But the city still had billion-dollar problem on its hands, rounded up slightly instead of rounded down significantly.

January seems forever ago. More forceful leadership from Mayor Joe Adame, who correctly identified the street problem as a priority, would have pushed the process faster. But the ensuing months of discussion resulted in an agreed-upon solution significantly nearer a comfort zone for the council, staff and all who will bear the cost for street work.

The solution is a combination of mostly the user fee and bond funding, and partly a targeted assessment for reconstruction of neighborhood streets in which the neighbors, if they agree to have their street rebuilt, pay 90 percent.

The user fee is expected to be between $5 and $10 for the average residence. That's a whole lot of between between "between" and "and." Commercial and industrial properties will be assessed more, in some cases a lot more. No matter how much more, or how equitable in relation to what households pay, it won't be enough to quell criticism of the council that approves the fee schedule. That council will have, at minimum, four new members.

Current council members can claim with credence that they made a difference in the outcome. Their questioning shaved significantly more than $200 million from the grand estimate. And because of their months of wrestling with the funding mechanisms, the payment plan is more affordable — the committee's fee estimate was $20 for the average household.

Marez was correct — there are a lot of details to work out. But the council's resolution to "work toward approving" a street user fee is a step forward.