County road staff presented proposed road projects and fund balances during the budget session and discussed options for using rebuild-Alabama funds and other local resources.
Why it matters: commissioners weigh which roads to reconstruct or chip-seal within constrained annual funding; staff said using rebuild-Alabama funds or carrying projects into the next fiscal year are both possible approaches.
Key points: road staff said that after current awards and expected completions the county will have about $979,000 remaining in rebuild-Alabama funds for next year. They explained the county receives roughly $100,000 a month into that fund and typically an additional about $400,000 near the start of the fiscal year (October/November). Staff recommended possibly letting funds build up to bid larger projects later in the year.
County Road 61 discussion: commissioners and staff discussed County Road 61 and noted it has two sections with different soil conditions. The southern section has suitable soils for reconstruction and chip-seal, but the northern section contains highly plastic soils that "shrink and swell," making reconstruction more expensive; staff said the fix would "improve that base by adding that cement stabilization," which raises costs.
Options and tradeoffs: staff offered alternatives — use rebuild-Alabama funds to cover certain segments, substitute other projects already budgeted, or increase revenues/cut elsewhere to cover reconstruction of additional roads. For at least one road, staff said the county could reconstruct the southern half first and address the northern half later because of the soil stabilization cost.
Next steps: commissioners may choose to allocate rebuild-Alabama funds to particular projects later in the budget process; staff indicated large projects can be bid late in the fiscal year after funds accumulate or split into phases to match available funds.
Taper: Staff asked commissioners to suggest additional candidate roads or indicate preference for timing; commissioners will review the project list and funding options before final budget adoption.