Gage County officials on June 25 described progress toward deploying a $5.4 million federal earmark to repair county roads and pave blacktops, saying the award will be administered through state and federal contracting systems and will not be placed on the county tax roll.

At a meeting of the Gage County Board of Supervisors, county staff said they are working with the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) to adapt a sample NDOT contract, finalize an engineering services agreement selected through a request for qualifications, and complete requirements in the federal DRGR system so the project can move forward.

The board and staff emphasized the earmark’s size and the administrative steps required to accept and use the funding. County staff described having selected an engineering firm through an RFQ and said they are modifying NDOT’s template to reflect the county’s agreement with that engineer so design and construction can proceed. Staff also said federal paperwork must be completed in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant system before work can begin.

Board members and staff discussed the timeline and next steps rather than taking formal action. Supervisors asked staff to continue coordinating with NDOT and the selected engineer and to report back with contract drafts and a schedule. County staff said they recently received a new HUD contact and will provide that person the county’s project information so federal questions can be answered.

Why it matters: the earmark is intended to pay for maintenance work county officials said would otherwise be local responsibilities. County staff told the board the funding will cover roughly $5.4 million of road maintenance and that the work financed by the earmark will not be added to the county tax roll or financed by a local bond.

Board members stressed the administrative workload of federal funds and their preference for moving quickly once contract and grant paperwork are in place. No contract or appropriation was approved at the meeting; staff said they will bring contract documents to a future meeting for board action.

County staff declined to provide a project start date at the meeting, saying the timeline depends on NDOT’s contract template and HUD’s grant processing.