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Supervisors hear stark numbers on road repair needs; approve extending Mark Thomas contract and pursue packaged grant projects
Summary
Mariposa County leaders discussed estimates that it would take tens of millions annually to keep county roads from deteriorating and reviewed funding streams; board approved extending a consultant contract and endorsed packaging road projects to pursue state and federal grants as a long‑term strategy.
County leaders told the Board of Supervisors on May 6 that Mariposa’s roads are in poor condition and that the county must rely heavily on packaged grant proposals and intercounty coordination to obtain the large sums needed for repair rather than relying on a single local revenue stream.
Public Works Director Shannon Hansen said the county currently has more than 60 road projects in design or backlog with an estimated total program value around $160 million and only two in‑house engineers to manage them. The board discussed earlier pavement‑condition estimates from Nichols Consulting that were prepared in 2021 and which the county will update in 2026; the earlier estimate suggested it would require roughly $66.8 million a year to maintain the county’s roads at current conditions.
Supervisor Sean Poe and others stressed that construction costs have risen since the board’s last comprehensive estimate; County Administrative Officer Joe Lynch and staff said modern input costs and inflation mean earlier figures will likely be higher. Public Works reported routine annual revenues include about $2.3 million from SB1 and roughly $2.5 million in Highway User Tax, with the county contributing about $426,000 historically from the general fund. The county collects about $20 million in transient occupancy tax (TOT) within a $97 million general revenue base but staff said TOT alone cannot address the multi‑decade funding shortfall.
To respond, the board approved an amendment to extend an on‑call architectural and engineering agreement with Mark Thomas & Company, increasing the maximum from $2 million to $4 million and extending the term to June 30, 2030. Hansen said most task orders under the contract will be paid from grant funds rather than the general fund and that the consultant work is being used to advance grant‑ready, engineered project packages so the county can pursue large federal and state grants.
Board members discussed other possible revenue strategies — including selling county property to raise capital for roads — and emphasized packaging contiguous road segments into larger eligible grant projects with partner counties to make applications more competitive. Lynch said staff will continue to pursue engineer hires, but the contract and packaged‑project approach are needed in the short term to move existing grants forward and unlock additional funding.
The board approved the contract amendment and confirmed intent to prioritize a roads‑packaging strategy and to seek grant funding aggressively rather than rely solely on local revenue streams.
