The most significant issues identified through the survey include:

1. Budget Cuts: Budget cuts and loss of revenue was the top issue facing street departments. Cuts in revenue sharing programs, taxpayer reluctance to fund tax increases and budget realignments are impacting on the department's ability to provide necessary services.
2. Increased Cost: The cost of operations is increasing faster than budget resources can fund. Virtually every category of department operations is affected by significant cost increases. Labor costs are escalating and will continue to climb as new mandated programs are instituted. Vehicle replacement costs have jumped dramatically in the last five years. Repair and maintenance costs have increased and, as equipment becomes more specialized, it's becoming more difficult for the department to maintain equipment items in-house. Material inventory costs are increasing. Even general overhead costs, the cost of maintaining facilities, insurance costs, utility costs, etc., have grown significantly.
3. Increased Workloads: Populations continue to grow, but the department's work force is fixed or decreasing. The department is experiencing high level demands and expectations in a growth environment that exceeds available resources. Infrastructure repair or replacement is being mandated, but not funded. Streets, according to a Washington superintendent, are deteriorating faster than money becomes available. Meanwhile, residents are demanding more and more services, while demanding lower taxes.
4. Accountability: The department is being forced to be more "accountable" in its operations. This results in increased manpower costs associated with reporting requirements. The departments are devoting more of their limited resourced "pushing paper", preparing reports and manually tracking operating costs.
5. Additional Responsibilities: New responsibilities are being mandated by legislation. Community services continue to increase, creating depand for new equipment and facilities.
6. Personnel: Departments are struggling with quantity and quality manpower issues. Not only are personnel costs increasing in relation to the total budget, departments are concerned about the inability or difficulty in finding quality personnel. Training costs and employee commitment issues are affecting productivity.
7. Capital Improvements: Developing and funding a five-year capital improvement program was a major issue among several departments. It's a proactive approach to plan for the future. Capital expenditures for equipment and other major items also impact on department's capital budget.
8. Project/Planning/Organization: Organizing projects and having better control on scheduling and project costs was voiced by several departments. Setting priorities and operating on-time and on-budget is a management function. City departments need the tools to effectively manage projects.
9. "Doing More with Less": The street department is being tasked to accomplish more; to provide more services, to be more accountable. But despite these increased demands the budget has failed to fund the new responsibilities. Today's department only has one option: It must "Do more with less". That requires changes in operational and management focus.