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Highway superintendent seeks community‑crossings match, warns of rising stone and equipment costs
Summary
Highway Superintendent Rick requested a $500,000 local matching placeholder for the 2026 Community Crossings grant and outlined rising costs for bituminous, stone and equipment. He asked for 5% raises for highway staff to retain drivers and equipment operators and described supply constraints that pushed higher bituminous and stone budgets.
Highway Superintendent Rick briefed the council on the 2026 highway budgets and urged the council to plan for a county match on the Community Crossings grant. He said grant rounds allow 80% state funding for approved projects, leaving a 20% local match; Rick asked the council to include a $500,000 placeholder in restricted funds so the county can support projects that exceed a $1,000,000 round and to ensure the county can commit local matching funds when awards are made in January. Rick said the community crossings state allocation typically arrives in a separate fund (account 9121) and noted that while the budget book showed $0 requested in one restricted line, the county has historically added the local match by additional appropriation in January once grants are awarded. On construction and maintenance costs, Rick reported difficulty sourcing stone (nines) and higher haul costs: ‘‘I didn't get enough stone hauled in to make my pug...I only made 61,000 ton instead of 70,000 ton because I didn't have enough,” he said, and he explained the price volatility and travel distance to suppliers. He also explained why bituminous and equipment line items are higher in 2026: acquisition costs for tractors, dump trucks and chip‑seal equipment have risen and several vehicles exceed 10,000 hours of operation and need replacement. On staffing, Rick requested 5% raises for highway staff to retain operators who are competing with neighboring employers; councilors noted raises can be challenging to justify countywide but acknowledged highway staff compete regionally for truck drivers and equipment operators. Nut graf: Rick warned continued supply and labor pressures mean the department must budget higher materials and equipment costs and keep a local match reserve for Community Crossings projects. Ending: Council staff agreed to confirm accounting in fund 9121 for Community Crossings and to handle local‑match appropriations in January to comply with advertising rules; members asked for additional market data on wages before finalizing raises.
