Washington County supervisors voted to amend the county budget and authorize the chairman to sign documents to reconcile state reimbursements for plowing state roads, after the county’s final plowing costs exceeded the three-year average used to calculate state payments.

The matter was introduced as a routine settlement of costs under the county’s contract with the state for plowing state-owned highways. County staff said the state guarantees an amount based on a three-year average; if actual costs exceed that figure, the county may receive additional reimbursement, but expenses more than 15% over the average require paperwork and a budget amendment. “So it’s, the average that was calculated for this year was $669, 700 no. 669,000 tops… Our final cost was $879,908.53,” a staff member said. “Motion carried.”

The vote moves the matter to finance as a budget amendment; supervisors approved authorizing the chairman to sign. Staff said the county will record the incoming reimbursement as revenue and amend line items in finance when the payment is processed.

Supervisors and staff raised practical concerns about how this year’s atypical salt contract and snow-and-ice operations affect the three-year average used in state calculations. Several board members noted that unusual conditions this winter — including unusable salt and reduced brining — had disrupted the normal pattern of plowing and material usage, and could distort the multi-year average the state relies on. “This year was pretty messed up. We had the salt that we couldn’t use… so how are we gonna get our three-year plan when this year is just about a wash?” one supervisor asked.

County staff said the county has not yet been paid and that the additional money is effectively “money in, money out” when it arrives, but cautioned that if the reimbursement exceeds the three-year average by more than 15%, the county needs to file paperwork and formally amend the budget. Staff recommended proceeding with a two-part action: a budget amendment to finance and an authorization for the chairman to sign, with the formal finance adjustments to follow.

Supervisors asked for more data on lane miles and the county’s share of plowing activity compared with the state and requested a briefing at a future meeting that would show lane-mile calculations and how the county’s work affects the reimbursement ratio. One supervisor asked the county highway staff to present charts at the next meeting to explain how this year’s operations altered the averages used for reimbursement.

The board approved the motion to amend the budget and authorize the chairman to sign and moved the matter to finance. No vote roll-call with individual names was recorded in the transcript; the chair called for the ayes and said the motion carried.

County staff said they will bring the financing paperwork to the finance committee and provide the requested lane-mile and cost-ratio information at a future meeting.