Here’s an interesting factoid. District 13, which includes a big chunk of Preston Hollow, ranks dead last in its percentage of satisfactory streets.

“One thing is that, in some cases, it means we have more streets, so there are more streets [in disrepair],” says Ann Margolin, District 13 councilmember. “This is based on absolute numbers. We have the worst streets in the city. From my knowledge, it’s spread all over the district.”

Across the city, we need about $4.4 billion in street repairs, according to Monday’s briefing to the transportation committee. And, the DMN City Hall blog reported that Margolin wasn’t happy when city staffers announced Monday that the proposed bond package may include only a fraction of that funding. That’s because the city manager’s office has made flood control one of the top priorities. I followed up with our councilmember today to find out more.

The proposed bond package is estimated to cost about $550 million, which is all the city can afford these days. The flood control plan, which focuses on the area around Baylor and Fair Park, is estimated to cost about $300 million. That doesn’t leave very much left over.

“[Flood control] really is needed, but so are street and alley repairs,” Margolin says. “My preference is to put flood control on hold. A decision needs to be made on what our priorities should be.”

The city budget includes funding for streets every year, but nowhere near the $4.4 billion that’s needed. But, on the upside, Margolin says that a significant amount of street repair funding from the 2006 bond program is still being used.