Berkeley auditor warns streets are 'at risk' and underfunded; council approves audit and asks for implementation plan

The Berkeley city auditor on Tuesday released a sweeping review of the city's street‑paving program and warned that without new recurring funding the pavement condition will continue to decline.

"We started this audit just about a year ago," the city auditor said as she presented the report titled Rocky Road: Berkeley Streets at Risk and Significantly Underfunded. The report estimated deferred maintenance at roughly $251 million in 2019 and found the city's pavement condition index (PCI) had improved only slightly over much of the last decade. The audit concluded the city needs substantially more recurring capital — auditors said an average of about $17.3 million per year over five years would hold current PCI levels, while $27.3 million annually could raise PCI modestly.

The audit also found the city's existing paving policy and five‑year plan were out of date, that collector streets were underfunded relative to policy priorities, and that prior council directions (including a recent paving pilot that prioritized bikeways and Vision Zero corridors) had not been incorporated into the policy. The auditor recommended annual assessments of funding needs, clearer performance measures and an update of the paving policy to reflect equity and council priorities.

Council members thanked the auditor for the analysis and agreed to place the audit on the consent calendar with direction to the city manager to report back on implementation progress. "This provides very important information for us," Mayor Aragon said, noting staff will fold findings into the capital improvement plan and upcoming five‑year paving plan.

Supporters of more aggressive paving funding — including public commenters and several commissioners — urged the council to pursue dedicated revenue and to update the city’s prioritization to protect transit, bike and pedestrian routes. The council approved the audit and asked staff to return with a plan for implementing the recommendations and tracking progress.