County narrows bridge and paving plans, shifts designs and match strategy amid revenue uncertainty
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Summary
After a long review of bridge life‑extension projects, culvert designs and the county paving program, commissioners agreed to trim small‑structure design spending, reduce certain culvert budgets and to structure the county match for Community Crossings projects conservatively in light of state funding changes.
Commissioners on June 1 reviewed Dearborn County Highway Department capital requests and agreed to scale back several design lines and reallocate funds to preserve a multi‑year paving program while recognizing uncertain state matching dollars.
County Engineer Todd Listerman outlined bridge and small‑structure work completed over the past 16–17 years and described life‑extension work on box‑beam bridges that saved multiple structures from replacement. He said the department has about $3.25 million in projects that could be moved from the capital budget as part of previously announced appropriations; removing those items improves the department’s near‑term balance but does not fully close the funding gap facing the highway fund.
Commissioners and Listerman agreed to remove five small‑structure design items from the advertised budget and to reduce two culvert/repair lines (presented in the meeting as design items 21803 and 32938) to preserve a modest reserve. The board also discussed the county’s Community Crossings application: under the state call, the county’s match changes with the state match fraction; commissioners instructed staff to budget a conservative county match figure so the county can apply when the state program award is announced. County staff walked commissioners through the math showing that if Community Crossings grants pay 80% or 75% the county’s required match will differ; the department recommended budgeting a county match of $600,000 under a 20% match scenario for a $3 million combined program but said that the final match will follow the statewide program rules when awards are announced.
Listerman also summarized the highway fund’s cash flow: the fund’s receipts were projected down for 2026 and the department expects to rely on fund balances and on a phased program of contracted paving combined with some in‑house work. Commissioners asked Listerman to present a short list of priority roads if state match levels are lower than in recent years; Listerman said he would prioritize Salt Fork, Jackson Ridge and other roads already scoped for federal or state applications.
The board’s budget adjustments leave the county able to retain a multi‑year paving program in a reduced form, while requiring the department to bring back prioritized lists and any grant agreements before contracting work.
