City wants street repair input

By Terry Murry on Tuesday, July 13th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

WALLA WALLA – The city of Walla Walla is conducting a survey of residents on which streets they would like to see improved if the current Transportation Benefit District 0.2 percent sales tax is renewed by voters for a second term.

Established in 2012, the TBD program is up for renewal in this year. The TBD raises about $1.2 million annually which may only be used on transportation improvement projects.

In 2011, before the TBD program was established, the city asked residents which roadways they felt are the top priorities for repair. Engineering staff used the results of the survey to help decide which streets to upgrade over the life of the initial 10-year TBD term.

The survey was mailed to residents. Public Works Communication Coordinator Shane Prudente said that anyone who didn’t receive a survey in the mail can access it online by entering “wallawalla” in the ID field. The survey is at https://www.cobaltcommunityresearch.org/wallawalla.html. The mailed surveys are the only ones that will be used in the statistically valid survey, but the online answers will help city staff understand residents’ preferences better according to Prudente.