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Road and Bridge officials say wind-energy and impact funds have offset equipment costs but restrict labor use
Summary
Rob, a Road and Bridge staff member, told the Albany County Commissioners during the budget presentation that wind-energy impact money has paid for tires, cutting edges and some equipment but county road funds cannot be used to pay in-house labor or equipment unless work is contracted out.
Rob, a Road and Bridge staff member, told the Albany County Commissioners during the budget presentation that the department has used wind-energy impact money to buy tires, cutting edges and occasionally fuel and equipment when needed. He said the impact funds have “been a valuable asset” to avoid pulling from the general fund for routine heavy-equipment needs.
Rob said county road fund rules limit how the department may use that revenue. He explained the county cannot use road fund dollars to pay its own labor or equipment on projects unless the work is contracted out: county personnel and equipment use for road projects is “not advised” under the current interpretation and the fund can be used for materials and for buying used equipment through proper channels.
County commissioners asked whether wind-impact money could be used for salaries; Rob said the department had not yet used wind funds for payroll but was considering temporary-help salaries. He also described one instance where wind companies paid to replace a culvert and to install cattle guards under a road-use agreement.
Rob and others discussed a separate revenue stream the department is exploring: providing trained road and bridge personnel for wildland fire suppression. Rob reported that four staff members went through dozer training and that the county may be able to bring in revenue by deploying trained equipment operators for fire response. He said the department is tracking where impact and other special funds originate and how they are spent.
Commissioners pressed on staffing. Rob said the road crew peaked at 16 employees in 2017 and currently has 13, and that the department was “reactive” to maintenance without additional hires. He described recruitment challenges tied to specialized job requirements and said the department would ideally add two to three staff to move from reactive to proactive maintenance.
The discussion produced no formal vote. Commissioners asked staff to continue tracking allowable uses of wind and road funds and to return with staffing and revenue scenarios if the county pursues expanded deployments for fire work.
