Pennington County highway chief outlines 2026 projects, credits wheel tax for grant success

Pennington County Highway Superintendent Joe Miller told the County Commission that the highway department's 2026 budget request covers a set of bridge repairs, an asphalt overlay program and equipment replacements meant to keep rural roads and tourist routes open and safe.

Miller said the county's wheel tax, first adopted in 2020 and increased to $5 per wheel last year, has been a major enabler of large grant applications the department has won. "Since the implementation of the wheel tax and successful big grant applications, we've gotten 12 of our 12 or 14 of our bridges off the poor rating list," he said, and added that the county collected about $3.6 million in wheel-tax revenue in the most recent year.

Why it matters: Pennington County maintains roads that serve both residents and more than 4 million annual tourists; the county has prioritized safety projects and multiple bridge repairs that depend on matching funds and the county's ability to show a local…