River Road and Santa Clara residents urge Lane County to take over maintenance of local access roads

Residents from the River Road and Santa Clara area urged the Lane County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday to bring hundreds of local access roads into the county-maintained road system, saying homeowners currently shoulder maintenance, liability and cost burdens that should be public responsibilities.

Several speakers described living on streets classified as local access roads (LARs) where neighbors must organize and pay privately for repairs because the county does not maintain the streets. ‘‘We were not informed that because we happen to live along these roads, we would need to become knowledgeable in their maintenance, somehow organize all of our neighbors, and personally pay for their repair,’’ said Joshua Quiles, a River Road homeowner.

Residents said the problem is widespread in the area. Deborah Higbee, who identified herself as living on Daughton Road in the River Road area, said the combined River Road and Santa Clara area contains ‘‘700 plus local access roads’’ and that ‘‘more than a thousand LAR homeowners’’ are affected. Higbee told commissioners that LARs are used by the public — garbage trucks, construction vehicles and other heavy vehicles — but that the homeowners carry maintenance costs and potential liability.

Laura Shue, who said she has worked with the River Road Community Organization Board, brought petition signatures. ‘‘On March 18, we presented you with 60 signatures of River Road residents urging you to take these roads into the county road system. Today, we’ve got another 17 signatures for you, so we’re up to 77,’’ she said, asking the board to act.

Speakers requested that the county accept LARs into the county road system without requiring property owners to bring the roads up to current new-road construction standards. Public-comment speakers emphasized that many homeowners did not know their streets were LARs when they purchased property and said they cannot organize or fund necessary repairs themselves.

No formal action was taken during Tuesday’s meeting; the comments were delivered during the public-comment period and will be part of the record for future staff work and any agenda items the board schedules on the subject. Commissioners did not vote or direct staff to a specific remedy during the public-comment portion of the meeting.

The board chair reminded speakers of the two-minute limit for public comment and said staff will hold a scheduled 1:30 p.m. work session and other agenda items. Residents said they will continue outreach and petitioning; Shue said the signature drive is ongoing and education of neighbors is required because many homeowners are not aware of their road status.

If and when the board places LAR policy or a decision on the agenda, staff reports and any proposed motions will provide detail on eligibility, costs, standards required for acceptance into the county road system and whether upgrades would be waived, the county said in other parts of the meeting packet.

For now, residents told commissioners the situation is ‘‘untenable’’ and asked the county to step in to relieve the financial and practical burden on homeowners.