Johnson County supervisors review secondary roads budget, ask staff to revisit lighting policy

Johnson County supervisors discussed the secondary roads department’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget and five‑year construction plan during a budget work session at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, and directed staff to review the county’s destination-lighting policy and provide cost estimates for high‑complaint intersections.

The review focused on funding projections, priorities in the five‑year program, staffing concerns and state and federal changes that could increase bridge and road work. The board asked Secondary Roads staff to work with supervisor liaisons to develop recommendations, include budget implications, and post the current policy and any proposed changes on the county website.

The county’s secondary roads staff presented revenue and expenditure projections and a map‑linked five‑year plan. Assistant County Engineer Paul Whitep and other staff told supervisors that road‑use tax estimates recently rose — fiscal 2025 receipts were re‑estimated from about $6.75 million to “a little over $7,000,000” — while property‑tax transfers were essentially flat. Staff said total department spending in the proposed FY2026 budget would run roughly $3.3 million higher than the previous year, driven almost entirely by construction projects on the five‑year list; excluding construction and salary changes, department expenditures were down about $168,000 from last year.

County engineers and project managers described a shift in project…