Half of Avon Lake’s $48M road estimate is for preventive work

MetroAvon Lake’s $48 million road estimate includes $24 million for preventive workAvon Lake Mayor Mark Spaetzel and city council members will host a town hall Sept. 30 to discuss a proposed 0.4% municipal income tax increase that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. Residents will be able to ask questions about the measure and the city’s infrastructure needs. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)AP Photo/Carolyn KasterBy Michael Johnson, cleveland.comcleveland.com Express DeskAVON LAKE, Ohio — About half of Avon Lake’s estimated $48 million in road needs is for streets already rated poor or failed. The other half reflects preventive maintenance needs for roads that remain in fair, good or excellent condition, according to the city’s road conditions report.The breakdown provides new detail behind the $48 million figure as voters consider a six-year, 0.4 percentage point municipal income tax increase Nov. 3. The proposal would raise the rate from 1.5% to 1.9%. In the original article, cleveland.com reported that city officials planned a Sept. 30 town hall to discuss the proposed tax and the condition of Avon Lake’s roads.Avon Lake hired Pavement Management Group in 2025 to evaluate every section of road across the city’s 112 miles of roadway. The city report says each section received a Pavement Condition Index score from 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating worse pavement.The report estimates $24 million is needed for roads with scores of 45 or below, which the city classifies as poor or failed. That includes 10 streets identified for full replacement at an estimated combined cost of $12 million, based on 2025 construction costs.The remaining $24 million reflects preventive work on roads rated fair, good or excellent. The report says roads in better condition generally qualify for less-expensive treatments such as crack sealing, while deteriorated roads require more extensive work such as reconstruction.The city has posted maps showing road conditions and streets considered eligible for reconstruction or mill-and-overlay work. However, the publicly available materials do not include a street-by-street cost breakdown showing how the city arrived at the entire $48 million estimate.Avon Lake’s roads have an average pavement score of 73, which the city classifies as fair. The road conditions report estimates about $4 million a year in road investment would be needed to maintain that average.The current $48 million estimate is higher than a figure discussed before the May election. During a December 2025 budget discussion documented in a January City Council packet, Finance Director Beth Krosse cited a Pavement Management Group estimate of about $40 million in streets needing maintenance and said about $2 million a year for five years would be needed to maintain them.The publicly available records reviewed by cleveland.com do not explain why the estimates later increased to $48 million in total road needs and about $4 million a year in recommended investment. The city’s road conditions report is its latest published assessment.The November proposal is expected to generate about $6.6 million annually, or about $39.6 million over six years if collections meet the city’s projection. At least 70% must go toward fixing and maintaining roads. As much as 30% can be used for storm sewers, drainage improvements, traffic signals, vehicles and equipment.At the minimum 70% road allocation, about $4.62 million a year, or roughly $27.7 million over six years, would go toward roads if collections reach the city’s projection.That does not mean the tax would cover a fixed share of the current $48 million estimate. Roads would be repaired during those six years while other pavement continues to deteriorate, construction costs could change and the city could use other funding sources for road work.The city’s estimate shows its projected road needs are not limited to rebuilding the worst streets. Roughly half involves maintaining roads that remain in better condition before they require more expensive repairs.Michael Johnson brings nearly four decades of newspaper experience in reporting, editing, newsroom leadership, page design and digital publishing. He has led daily and weekly newsrooms in Pennsylvania,...