Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County engineer warns of road-fund cuts if state SRS funding does not return
Summary
The county engineer told commissioners that declining or eliminated State Route/Shared Revenue (SRS) funding and rising labor/material costs will force cuts in the road budget; staff will present scenarios and a submission is planned later in the day.
County Engineer Josh Thompson told the Board of Commissioners that road maintenance and condition work is continuing after recent rainstorms but the department expects to request significant cuts in next year’s road budget unless state SRS funding is restored.
Thompson said the county’s primary road revenues are property tax (which increases modestly), motor vehicle fuel tax (flat), and SRS funding (flat, declining, or possibly disappearing). He said labor and material costs are rising faster than those revenues and that the department has been able to defer some work using surpluses and federal STBG funds; those strategies are finite.
Thompson said he will submit the road budget later in the day and that it will include projected cuts. Commissioners asked staff to keep working through scenarios and to provide updated projections and options for next year’s budget discussions.
The engineer also described localized road issues including damage around radio-tower construction and inquiries about Airport Road, and he said the department will check jurisdiction and use agreements to determine responsibility for repairs.
