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Comprehensive Plan Transportation Element 200,000 people, grant funds can be used for operating expenses as well as capital expenses. These funds, however, are contingent upon the county identifying local matching funds. Therefore, the county should continue to provide local matching funds and should seek partnerships with the cities and other entities (such as the state college) to provide the required local match. • Summary of Transportation Cost and Revenue Strategies Research by economists indicates that adequately considering all costs of providing transportation and passing those costs to motorists represents the best long-term solution for congestion relief. The easiest way for the county to accomplish this is by imposing all 12 cents of its local option gas tax. Also, the county should dedicate funding to transit or other non - roadway transportation modes to ensure continuity in the provision and operation of those modes. While congestion pricing, per -mile usage fees, and parking charges are not applicable in Indian River County, the county should monitor changes in technology or local travel conditions that might make these applicable over time. Since every dollar of local funding provided to the transit system for operations results in $3 in federal and state matching funds, the county should continue to make a contribution to match these grants with local funds. Finally, the county should encourage the private sector to adopt TDM techniques. The county could do this by supporting employer carpooling and ridesharing programs, encouraging staggered work hours, and requiring transit facilities at new developments. External Costs In recent years, the external costs of the transportation system, including the costs due to pollution, congestion delays, parking provision and roadway injuries, have been growing dramatically nationally as well as locally. It is estimated that the external costs of the transportation system are approximately equivalent to the construction costs of the system. While the gas tax remains the only viable consumption -based transportation funding source in Indian River County, the share of the gas tax in Indian River County relative to all transportation costs (including externalities) has fallen dramatically over time. Locally, the gas tax now represents only 5% of all construction, operational, and external transportation costs. This can be remedied in part by rapid implementation of all of the remaining local option gas tax. System Preservation Due to some recent high-profile infrastructure failures, the state of transportation infrastructure has become a national topic of discussion. Those failures also illustrate that it is essential that resurfacing and other systemwide maintenance is performed in Indian River County to avoid costlier reconstruction at a future date. In Indian River County, maintenance and other highway operating costs are increasing at a rapid rate. Those increases are attributable to a number of factors, including increased wear and tear on the roads from higher travel; more landscaping on the roadways; and more and increasingly Community Development Department Indian River County 121