MARYSVILLE — The city of Marysville’s Transportation Benefit District Board met on Monday, Feb. 24, to review a number of potential projects.

If voters approve an 0.02 percent sales tax increase on the April 22 special election ballot, the TBD would be able to generate an estimated $1.6 million per year, over the course of 10 years, to be divided between pavement preservation and capital improvement transportation projects of the Board’s preference.

Assistant City Engineer John Cowling noted that this TBD tax rate is comparable to that of many other jurisdictions throughout Washington state in 2011 and 2012. He further estimated that pavement preservation alone for Marysville would probably cost $800,000 per year for 10 years, even as he warned against budgeting to spend every penny, given that costs of construction increase over time.

Under the 10-year pavement preservation plan Cowling presented, the $2,550,000 for the projects north of 100th Street NE would be divided up 57 percent for arterial, 25 percent for collector and 18 percent for residential streets, while the $2,650,000 for the projects south of 100th Street NE and north of Grove Street would go 76 percent to arterial, 16 percent to collector and 8 percent to residential streets. The $2,800,000 for the projects south of Grove Street would be 63 percent arterial, 23 percent collector and 14 percent residential streets.

Cowling acknowledged that his list of potential capital improvement projects would require the Board to choose their top priorities, since not all the projects can be constructed with TBD funds. Even the proposed addition of lanes to State Route 528 at I-5 would, by itself, cost an estimated $19.8 million, exceeding the $16 million that the sales tax increase would collect over 10 years, although Cowling expected the city to find other funding sources to complete such projects.

“A lot of these projects are very much needed,” Cowling said.

While the April 22 ballot measure does not specify how the TBD would allocate its funds, Board Chair Jeff Vaughan and Vice Chair Steve Muller were among those who wondered whether they needed to choose their priorities now, to better sell voters on the sales tax increase.

City of Marysville Public Information Officer Doug Buell noted that the March 26 “Marysville University” on city transportation would also allow for further discussion of TBD projects.