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Crook County Road Agency names chair, adopts bylaws and budget actions as SRS funding remains uncertain
Summary
The newly formed Crook County Road Agency appointed a chair and a third board member, approved bylaws, adopted a fiscal-year budget resolution to cover an audit, and set budget committee dates while officials said Secure Rural Schools (SRS) funding remains unresolved in Congress.
Crook County’s newly formed Road Agency on Monday selected Commissioner Brian Barney as its chair, appointed a third board member and approved bylaws and a series of budget actions as officials flagged uncertainty over Secure Rural Schools (SRS) federal funding.
The agency, created by an amended intergovernmental agreement between Crook County and the city of Pineville, also approved a budget resolution to move $3,000 into materials and services to pay for an annual audit and authorized an auditor engagement letter. County Manager Will Van Vactor, who is serving as staff support and volunteered to act as the agency’s budget officer for fiscal year 2026, said the board expects greater clarity about SRS funding before it adopts a final budget at the end of June.
The appointments and administrative steps set up the agency to meet Oregon statutory requirements for budget adoption and auditing. The board voted unanimously on nominations and motions during the meeting, which also established a three-person budget committee and scheduled a budget committee meeting for June 16 and a board budget adoption meeting for June 30 at 2 p.m.
“The amendment also talked about, provided some guidance in terms of who is who provides support to the road agency,” Will Van Vactor said, describing the IGA change that shifted the agency’s membership from three county commissioners to one county representative, one city representative and a jointly appointed third member. Van Vactor later summarized the budget timing: “We’re tracking what’s going on with SRS funds in Washington DC. Maybe by the time we get to adopting the budget, we’ll know more about what the future of SRS funds looks like.”
What the board approved
- Chair and membership: Commissioner Brian Barney was nominated and confirmed as chair. Jerry Bremer was appointed as the agency’s third board member; meeting remarks identified Bremer as a current city councilor with prior service as a county commissioner and longtime superintendent of public works in Pineville.
- Bylaws: The board approved Exhibit A, the Crook County Road Agency bylaws, reflecting the revised membership and clarifying staff support roles (county staff will provide budget and meeting support).
- Budget resolution and audit: The agency approved Resolution 2025-01, a fiscal-year 2025 budget resolution that moved $3,000 into materials and services to pay for the required audit after the agency’s fiscal 2024 activity exceeded $500,000. The board also approved an engagement letter with ClearTrail CPAs (the successor name to Polly Rogers and Company) to perform the FY24 audit and empowered the chair to sign the engagement letter on the agency’s behalf.
- Budget officer and committee: Will Van Vactor was appointed budget officer for FY26 to fulfill Oregon budget requirements (ORS 294). The board appointed Casey Kiser, Russ DeBooth and Laurie Hooper to the three-member budget committee for FY26; members’ terms will be set and staggered at the committee’s first meeting.
Why it matters
Agency staff and board members emphasized that SRS funds are an important recurring stream for road maintenance in Crook County, providing roughly $800,000 annually toward road work that otherwise comes from county road funds. Agency members described the funding as primarily supporting routine maintenance such as chip sealing and other preservation treatments rather than large capital reconstructions; staff said they would supply additional budget-level detail at future meetings.
What remains discussion only
Board members repeatedly noted that the 2025 SRS appropriation remained pending in Congress at the time of the meeting and that the board had not yet received the anticipated pass-through funds. Staff said the House had passed reauthorization and Senate action was under negotiation; they set the timetable for final agency budget decisions to allow time for federal action.
Next steps and public notice
The board confirmed the budget committee meeting on June 16 and the agency’s budget adoption meeting on June 30, both at 2 p.m., and directed staff to publish meeting materials on the county website and consider a press release to inform the public about the agency and the importance of SRS funds to local road maintenance.
