The City routinely inspects all the pavements within Owatonna before deciding what to do and when to do maintenance. The staff looks for common distresses such as loss of aggregates, cracks, and distortions to help determine what is going on beneath the pavement as well as the surface of the roadway. The distresses are recorded in a database that considers the road conditions, prior maintenance history, and other factors to help determine the most cost-effective treatment and appropriate time to apply the treatment. The City also reviews available funding and other projects in the area that might influence the selection of the roads.