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Cowlitz County finance officials say motor-vehicle fuel tax deposits delayed; Cloverdale, other capital projects pushed later in year
Summary
County finance staff told the Board of Commissioners that state deposit errors have cut motor-vehicle fuel tax receipts roughly in half so far this year, and that several road capital projects including Cloverdale have been delayed into later quarters, increasing reliance on fund balances and grant reimbursements.
Cowlitz County finance staff told the Board of Commissioners Monday that deposits of motor-vehicle fuel tax (MVFT) from the state have been inconsistent and roughly half of expected amounts have been received so far this year, reducing near-term revenue for the county's road fund.
"The state is having system issues. So they've been depositing roughly half of our motor vehicle fuel tax revenue," Susie, finance manager, said during the board's budget review. She added, "So we should see a large increase in that revenue stream once those issues have been corrected."
County budget documents presented at the meeting show the road fund was budgeted for $15,700,000 in taxes; about $8.8 million had been collected at the time of the presentation. Intergovernmental revenues were budgeted at $20.3 million, with roughly $2.0 million received; staff said a large share of that line is grant reimbursements tied to capital projects.
The board heard that several planned capital projects have slipped. County Engineer Susan Eugenus said the Cloverdale project was originally scheduled to start in April but was delayed; the county expected to award and execute the contract in the coming week. Staff also identified Tower Road Bridal and Dyke Road as projects pushed into future years or contingent on permits.
Staff emphasized that the county's beginning unreserved road fund balance—about $17.3 million—is largely earmarked for projects and match requirements, including ARPA funds used previously to match grants. "Her plan does spend all those funds down to a nice balance at the end of the year," one presenter said, while noting projects often encounter delays that push spending into later months.
Multiple road-related contract actions were reported on the agenda. Public Works staff said WSDOT-required corrections produced a $753.23 contract deduct on the Delamita Road culvert replacement supplemental agreement; the county planned to execute a contract award for countywide striping (All Stripes) and a South Cloverdale Road improvements contract that had been awarded on June 3. A separate bid award for rock material delivery to the headquarters landfill was listed to Veil Stordahl & Sons, and a countywide delineator project bid award went to Pavement Surface Controls, paid with Highway Safety Improvement Program grants.
Staff told commissioners they expect many road fund expense lines to ramp up in late summer and fall—chip-seal aggregate and oil purchases, quarterly ER&R internal charges, and overlay programs were cited as large near-term lines. Given the timing of property tax receipts (first-half in April, second-half in October) and delayed receipts from the state, staff said the county typically maintains a $7–9 million year-end target balance for cash-flow purposes.
The board did not take a final vote on new appropriations during the presentation; staff said they plan a more detailed update in a July workshop to reconcile project timing, FEMA small-project receipts, and the six-year plan once design and contracting steps advance.
