Augusta town leaders and business representatives told the St. Charles County Road Board on Wednesday they want a clear process and contacts to move long‑standing road repairs off a decades‑long to‑do list.

"The reason we are here is not to ask for money," said Randall Oakes, town chairperson for Augusta, during the meeting's public comment period, adding the delegation is instead seeking "who people we should contact, organizations, etcetera" to make repairs happen.

The request followed a presentation by Tom Fuchs, general manager of the Hoffman wineries in Augusta, who described the town's role as a regional tourism draw and said road conditions were affecting visitors' experiences. "When I drive through town to get to the wineries, you have to weave around all the potholes ... getting to the winery, I don't want people to come out to the winery and then be more focused on the trouble they had driving to the wineries," Fuchs said.

Augusta officials said the town contains 11 of the county's roughly 37 registered historic properties and about 6.2 miles of roadway that need varying levels of repair. Board members and county staff discussed options including joining the county highway program, using road district mechanisms (NID/TDD/CID), applying for state or federal grants, and leveraging the town's existing sales tax revenues to meet required local matches.

County staff said the highway department typically requires a local match—historically 10% for smaller jurisdictions but more recently described as 20%—and that certain roads, such as state routes, are ineligible for some federal or county funds. Staff also said the county's application cycles can be multi‑year: "we don't work 30 years out, but we do work 3 years out," a county staff member said, noting that starting now could mean funds become available in roughly three to four years.

Board members and staff committed to follow up: staff agreed to verify whether Augusta had been receiving an estimated $10,000–$11,000 in annual gas/road fund allocations and to set up a meeting to review options, funding cycles and potential timelines. The board emphasized that joining county programs or establishing a development district could change eligibility and timing.

The public comment portion of the meeting and the staff responses were informational; no formal county funding decisions or motions were made at the session.