I wrote the following action alert and fact sheet for an important issue here in my county:

Fact Sheet: Rice County Highway Cost Participation Policy

Summary: Rice County no longer pays a share of the costs for replacement sidewalks and new and replacement shared-use paths (sometimes called bike paths) on county roads in cities and townships. Sidewalks and paths along urban roads serve an important safety function and provide transportation and recreation options for many people, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. While some claim that these facilities are amenities, they are more properly viewed as essential components of a modern urban road.

On Tuesday, April 7 the County Board of Commissioners will revisit this issue. Please contact your county commissioner and/or write a letter to your local newspaper at your earliest convenience. (See contact info below.)

The Facts

• On joint road projects with cities, Rice County formerly paid a share of the cost for the following facilities as part of its capital improvement program:

For municipalities of 5,000 population or more:
55% of the cost for
- Replacement of existing sidewalks
- New bituminous bike path [shared-use path] (if maintained by local agency)
- Replacement of bituminous bike path

0% of the cost for new sidewalks (not eligible for county funding)

For municipalities of 5,000 population or less:
100% of the cost for
- Replacement of existing sidewalks
- New bituminous bike path [shared-use path] (if maintained by local agency)
- Replacement of bituminous bike path

0% of the cost for new sidewalks (not eligible for county funding)

• In August 2008 the Rice County Board of Commissioners changed its cost participation policy for county roads. (Commissioner Galen Malecha of Northfield was the only one to vote against the change.) Now all of the following facility costs are not eligible for county funding for all municipalities in the county:

- New sidewalks
- Replacement of existing sidewalks
- New bituminous bike path [shared-use path] (if maintained by local agency)
- Replacement of bituminous bike path

• Sidewalks serve an important safety function. According to a Federal Highway Administration study,  pedestrian crashes are more than twice as likely to occur in places without sidewalks; streets with sidewalks on both sides have the fewest crashes. (#FHWA-RD-03-042).

• Installing sidewalks and paths in the design or redesign of a road is less expensive than retrofitting them in later.

• The new policy will likely make it more difficult for the county and municipalities to obtain federal grants, which are more likely to be awarded to projects with multi-modal transportation features.

• Sidewalks and paths increase property values and property tax revenue.

• Other counties across the country are moving toward “complete streets” policies that accommodate all road users – motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, and the handicapped – but Rice County is moving in the opposite direction.

• The county policy refers to “bike paths” in its policy, but a more accurate term would be shared-use paths, since pedestrians, inline skaters, runners, and others can use them as well.

The Rice County Board of Commissioners web page has a link for finding your commissioner.

Contact info:

Mailing address for all commisioners:
320 NW 3rd Street Faribault, 55021

Jake Gillen, Commissioner – District 1
(507) 334-5746 (Home)
(507) 332-6101 (Office)
Email:  jgillen@co.rice.mn.us

Galen Malecha, Commissioner – District 2
(507) 645-6041 (Home)
(507) 332-6101 (Office)
Email: gmalecha@co.rice.mn.us

Milt Plaisance, Commissioner – District 3
(507) 334-7612 (Home)
(507) 332-6101 (Office)
Email:  mplaisance@co.rice.mn.us

Steve Bauer, Commissioner – District 4
(507) 334-9700 (Home)
(507) 332-6101 (Office)
Email:  sbauer@co.rice.mn.us

Jeff Docken, Commissioner – District 5
(952) 652-2876 (Home)
(507) 332-6101 (Office)
Email:  jdocken@co.rice.mn.us

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 at 7:51 am and is filed under Biking/Walking, Northfield, Transportation, Urban Design.