The Committee
The
Small City Allotment Advisory Committee (SCAAC) was established by the Department of Transportation Executive Director in consultation with the League of Oregon Cities. A small city representative within each ODOT Region sits on the committee panel. The primary role of this committee is to review applications submitted under the
Small City Allotment Program and make recommendations for funding to the director.
The Program
The Small City Allotment program is an annual allocation of state funds for local transportation projects. Through an agreement between the League of Oregon Cities and ODOT, ODOT sets aside $5M each year (half from city gas tax revenue and half from the State Highway Fund) for incorporated cities with populations of 5,000 or less. Statute (ORS 366.805) dictates that these funds may be used only upon streets that are inadequate for the capacity they serve or are in a condition detrimental to safety. Funds are distributed per a competitive process with cities competing against other cities within the same region. Each project is evaluated, scored and ranked and those that best meet the program criteria will be awarded to the degree funding allows. Funding is limited to $250,000 per project.
Program Updates
The Small City Allotment Advisory Committee met on June 7, 2022 to discuss how the current economy is affecting the Small City Allotment program and the ability of grant recipients to complete their projects. Due to high costs cities are finding the need to reduce the scope of their projects to stay within budget, while others are requesting extensions in the hopes costs will soon be declining. In an effort to address these issues it was decided:
- To increase the maximum award amount to $250,000 to address high costs and make these projects more appealing to contractors.
- Allow Cities with existing projects to forfeit them to re-apply for the higher level of funding. This will give cities another option to reducing scope or extending project termination dates. There is no guarantee that these projects will be selected for funding this year, as they will be subject to the competitive process as will all applications.
- Cities with no more than one active project as of September 1, 2022 are eligible to apply.
Other changes include:
- Funds may no longer be used on County Roads
- Beginning in 2023 Cities will have to have all SCA projects completed prior to being eligible to apply for another.
Public Meeting
The next public meeting will be held early to mid-November, (date to be determined). The purpose of this meeting will be to present the results of the 2022 Project Solicitation to the Committee. The Committee will be asked to confirm the final award list.
A designated public comment period will take place near the beginning of each meeting. As time allows, the Committee will listen to public comments on a specific agenda items at the time it is presented. Testimony is limited to three (3) minutes, recognizing substance, not length, determines the value of testimony or written information. If you wish to give testimony on any related topic you will be asked to submit a
Public Comment Request Form 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Public Comment may be mailed to:
Oregon Small City Advisory Committee
Attn: Deanna Edger
555 13th St NE
Salem, OR 97301