SAN BENITO — Tonight, city officials will determine which streets are the worst.
City commissioners will review a priority list of 13 streets and consider selecting some for repair sooner rather than later.
Mayor Celeste Sanchez said last week it’s a process commissioners undertake every six months.
“We’re always doing a street,” Sanchez said. “As the months go by, some streets get worse than others. We’ll pick them out and move them up on the list if we have streets on the list that are in dire need of repair.”
Those streets include Adele, Avon, Charlotte, East Powers, Franklin, Mae Drive, South Bowie, South Coke, South Fannin, San Jacinto, West Bravo, West Carol and West Heywood.
Officials also will consider placing Lasby Park Street, North Doherty Street and Shafer Road on the priority list.
The list includes streets under which water, sewer and gas lines need attention, too.
This year, the city has about $800,000 to fund street repairs, officials said.
In 2012, the previous administration sold $3.1 million worth of certificates of obligation to fund the street reconstruction program.
Then, commissioners voted to raise the city’s property tax rate to 72 cents per $100 valuation to pay back the bonds within 20 years.
The 4-cent tax increase generates about $146,701 a year.
In 2013, commissioners voted to place 26 streets on a project list, including about 95 blocks that staff determined to be in the worst condition.
Staff selected the streets from a list of about 240 blocks along 72 streets targeted as in need of repair.
Today, about $350,000 remains from the bond issue, Martha McClain, the city’s spokeswoman, said.
This year, commissioners earmarked $462,089 in city money to help fund the street repair project.
That’s up from last year, when commissioners took $263,284 from city coffers to pay for street repairs.
In 2014-2015, $36,716 was set aside for the project.
In addition to the streets, city commissioners will also consider a 2 1/2-percent salary increase to all employees except for six employees that are exempt from future raises for the next three years.
