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1 Existing Conditions 1.1 Introduction

1.9 Funding Sources

1.9.1 Introduction

Funding for new transportation projects in Paso Robles comes mainly from three sources. First, a certain amount of money from the City’s general fund is provided to the Community Development Department, which spends the money on improvements to City

infrastructure as needed. Second, funds are currently being provided to the City from the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) via a countywide transportation investment plan, which will be paid out over the course of nine years. Finally, funding is being provided to the city by the State of California, mainly through two different

transportation-specific funds: the Transportation Development Act Fund and the Prop 1B Public Transportation Special Revenue Fund.

1.9.2 City Funding

According to the City of Paso Robles Quarterly Financial Report, from the fourth quarter of the 2015-16 Fiscal Year, the City provided an expenditure budget of $43,206,990, while actually spending $34,749,032 of that budget – around 80%. Based on the provided

year-end totals, the City states that $2,390,528 was budgeted for Community Development, the department in charge of improvements of all transportation infrastructure throughout Paso Robles. In total, however, expenditure for the department was found to equal

$2,243,306 – 94% of the designated budget.. Based on these numbers, in the original budget, around 5.5% was provided for infrastructure improvements; however, for the actual amount spent, around 6.4% of all spending by the City during the fiscal year was by

Community Development. The City report also states that $19,328,379 was budgeted to the Public Works department during that same time period, with the department only

spending $12,584,444 of that budget – around 65%. Compared to the full budget, Public Works originally made up 44.7% of the designated spending, and totaled around 36.2%.

Figures 1.9-1 and 2, below, detail overall budgeted spending and actual spending,

respectively, by both department and the City as a whole during the 2015-16 fiscal year. While it cannot be assumed that all funding provided to both departments was provided to transportation infrastructure, no further specific data on spending in Paso Robles could be found for the purposes of this report.

1.9.3 County Funding

In 2016, the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG) adopted the San Luis Obispo County Transportation Investment Plan, in order to improve the quality of

transportation infrastructure throughout the county. The plan involves investing over $225 million over the span of nine years, 50% of which ($112.5 million) would be designated to individual cities for their own personal usage. According to provided details, Paso Robles would be given 11.3% of the available funds, totaling $12,666,685 over the nine year period; on a year-to-year basis, this would provide $1,407,409 to the City for infrastructure improvements. Based on the previously provided budget numbers by the City, this would increase the infrastructure budget of the City by over 50%.

1.9.4 State Funding

The state of California provides funding for transit projects within Paso Robles through two different funds, the Transportation Development Act Fund and the Prop 1B Public

Transportation Special Revenue Fund. Both funds are directly provided by the state

government, and as such are distinctly separate from the general City fund. Similar to funds provided by the County, money provided into these funds may only be used for their

designated purpose of transportation infrastructure improvement, with some exceptions. The City’s Transportation Development Act Fund was established by the California State Act of the same name in 1971, designed to improve transit infrastructure on a local basis through regional planning. Money for the fund comes from two other funds, the Local Transportation Fund (LTF) and the State Transit Assistance Fund (STAF); these are provided for by statewide taxes on diesel fuel sales and a ¼ cent general sales tax,

respectively. These taxes are distributed to communities based on need, as the community itself must apply for the funds. Limitations are placed on what the money can be used for; money taken from the STAF can be used only on transit projects, while LTF funds can be used for road and street projects if all transit needs have been met. During the 2015-16 financial year, Paso Robles had a TDA Fund totaling around $151,447; the City did not spend any money from the fund, due to there being no outstanding transit need.

The Prop 1B Public Transportation Special Revenue Fund started in 2006 after California sold $19.92 billion in general bonds to fund improvements of the state’s transportation system. As part of the proposition, the state promised $980 million for a local cooperation program that matched the cost spent by municipal governments on their infrastructure projects for five years after the passing of the bill. After being on this program, Paso Robles has a remaining fund balance of $125,137, which may be used on any transportation

infrastructure project desired. During the 2015-16 fiscal year, the City spent $15,157 of the fund.

In addition to the two funds, a third legislative act is under implementation in the California State Legislature that will provide direct financial benefit to Paso Robles. The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, or SB-1 for short, will institute an infrastructure

investment of $5.24 billion/year statewide for ten years, with $15.4 million/year being 20

provided to San Luis Obispo County. According to figures released by SLOCOG, $718,000 of that would be given directly to the City of Paso Robles, with an additional $10,190 set aside specifically for improvements of the Paso Express bus system.

2. Opportunities and Constraints