Transportation Utility Fee

• Why is street maintenance important?

  Our streets are like the siding of our houses. Not keeping up with repairs means it becomes more expensive the longer we wait. The cost to repair our current backlog of street maintenance projects is $5.8 million. Without consistent funding, we will fall behind and the cost will increase.

  Delaying maintenance until a road is failing can cost four to five times more than performing timely preventative maintenance. Preventative maintenance saves money and extends the life of our streets by almost 50 percent, a significant return on the public’s investment.

• How was the number of trips for a single family home determined?

  Traffic engineers rely on a “Trip Generation” manual recommended by the Institute of Transportation Engineers to figure out traffic impact to streets. Based on studies, the manual concludes that single family homes generate, on average, nine to 10 one-way vehicle trips per day. Below are some examples of the types of daily activities that generate trips that use our streets whether they are done by bus, car, or truck.

  • Leaving and returning from work (two one-way trips)
  • Taking a child to school in the morning and returning to pick them up in the afternoon (four one-way trips)
  • Trip to and from shopping (two one-way trips)
  • Trip to and from church (two one-way trips)
  • Local deliveries and service providers (U.S. Mail, Fed Ex, Trash/ recycle pick-up)
  • Trip to and from the doctor/pharmacy (two one-way trips)
  • Trip to and from a restaurant of any type (two one-way trips)
  • Trip to and from the recreation center or exercise facility (two one-way trips)

• Were community members involved in developing the Transportation Utility Fee?

  A community task force, the Transportation Funding Committee, was appointed in April 2007 to consider how much money the proposed fee should raise, how the proposed fee should be divided between residential and non-residential customers, and how and if the proposed fee should be adjusted.
  
  The recommendations of the task force were forwarded to the Transportation Committee for review on May 6, 2008. A public hearing on the Transportation Utility Fee took place at the June 17, 2008, City Council meeting.
  

• Now that Hillsboro customers pay the TUF, what is the gas tax used for?

  Gas tax revenue will continue to fund the day to day operations like sign and striping projects and pot hole filling. The portion of gas tax currently used to fund our street maintenance program will be replaced by the Transportation Utility Fee. That part of the gas tax will be redirected to add sidewalks, bicycle lanes, street lighting, striping and curb ramps where needed.
  
  An integrated system of sidewalks and bike paths to serve the entire community is a strategy in Hillsboro 2020 Vision.
  
  
  

• Why is a Transportation Utility Fee needed?

  This fee is used for the maintenance and repair of streets under the City of Hillsboro’s jurisdiction. To learn more, visit our Pavement Management Program webpage.

  Preventative maintenance can extend the life of a street to 30 years or more. Restoration of pavement near the end of a street’s service life will typically cost four to five times more than preventative maintenance performed in a timely manner. The longer we wait to take care of our streets, the more they will cost to repair.