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Linn County approves FY26 DOT secondary‑roads budget and revises 2025 five‑year construction program; board defers FY26 plan final vote to Monday
Summary
The board authorized the chair to sign the county's fiscal year 2026 Iowa DOT secondary‑roads budget, approved Revision 2 to the 2025 five‑year construction program, and moved a separate FY26 five‑year construction program item to the next regular meeting for more review after staff requested clarification on project timing and wording.
The Linn County Board of Supervisors on April 30 authorized the chair to sign the fiscal year 2026 Iowa Department of Transportation secondary‑roads budget and approved Revision 2 of the county’s 2025 five‑year secondary‑roads construction program, while postponing formal action on a separate FY26 construction plan item until Monday’s regular meeting.
Brad, a county staff member who presented the highway documents, told the board the FY26 budget is an annual submission that accompanies the county budget and that the Revision 2 item amends the 2025 construction program to add one project: 30th Avenue in Marion. “The Marion 30 Fifth 1 is the the biggest change,” he said, describing a plan to upgrade a half‑mile section that is currently rock to a sealed‑coated roadway.
Board members said the two similar agenda items—annual DOT budget submission and the multi‑year construction program—were confusing when placed together, particularly for supervisors who said they had not seen the original 2025 program. The board voted to move the FY26 five‑year construction program discussion to Monday’s regular agenda to allow staff to provide clarifying documentation and to check contract and submission timelines.
The 30th Avenue project is a joint city‑county effort: Brad said portions of the corridor fall within the county’s jurisdiction and other portions are in the city of Marion, and the project has been discussed with the city for several years. He noted increased traffic near Boulder Peak Intermediate School and said the project is timed to begin within the next two months; any funds expended must be included in the construction program.
Supervisors also pressed staff about a line in the plan that had earlier indicated the old bridge on Old Bridge Road would be “removed” in 2029. Brad and staff said the term “removed” was a poor choice of words for a projected action and that the bridge had been moved earlier in some drafts to fiscal 2026; they advised the board that inclusion in the plan is often used as a placeholder to reserve funding and that subsequent amendments typically clarify final scope and timing.
On the approval votes recorded by voice, the board adopted the county’s FY26 DOT secondary‑roads budget and Revision 2 of the 2025 five‑year program. The board also approved a separate motion to move the FY26 construction program item to Monday’s agenda, allowing staff to return with clearer documentation and recommended wording.
Brad offered to provide supervisors with a one‑page summary of routine annual submissions so new board members could more easily review recurring items. The board thanked staff for the explanation and asked for clearer labeling of future construction‑program amendments so that placeholders or tentative language do not suggest final actions.
No specific dollar amounts for projects beyond budget‑level totals were changed on the record at the meeting; staff said the program’s first year is the primary “accomplishment year” and that later years in the five‑year plan are projections that the county and DOT amend annually.
