Dunn County committee adopts 2026 highway budget after discussion of borrowing and road backlog

The Dunn County Highway Committee approved the proposed 2026 highway budget after a presentation showing the county must continue borrowing to meet construction needs and maintain its extensive road network. The committee voted to adopt the budget after a discussion of revenue sources, borrowing and program priorities; the budget proposal totals about $15.06 million, comparable to the 2025 figure, with a county construction and maintenance program centered on roughly $2.6 million of core county work. Committee members and highway staff said the county faces a structural mismatch between miles of roads to maintain and available levy and state funds. Highway staff noted Dunn County ranks about 59th of 72 Wisconsin counties on a statewide pavement condition index derived from biennial PACE ratings and that the county has the eighth-most miles of county roads in the state. Staff said maintaining the current condition would require work on roughly 20 miles of county roads per year; improving conditions would require 30–35 miles per year, which would necessitate additional borrowing or levy increases. Highway staff outlined revenue sources for the county road fund, including the state General Transportation Aids (GTA), motor vehicle registration fees and federal/state program grants. The presentation showed the county used about $3.0 million of borrowing in 2025 in the highway fund and discussed continuing to use borrowing to cover large projects and to preserve fund balance for future bridge work. Committee members pressed on options to manage procurement delays, equipment shortages and project overruns that increase pressure on the fund. Staff confirmed some recent projects came in over budget (examples included County Road S and County Road Y), which will require adjustments and could dig into the fund balance if the pattern continues. The committee chair made the motion to approve the 2026 highway budget; the motion was seconded and passed on a voice vote. The committee scheduled a budget workshop and directed staff to continue refining project lists, explore competitive grant options such as STP and ARIP, and return with more detailed program-level options to balance services and levy constraints. The committee will reconvene at its next regular meeting to review refined priorities and grant application plans.