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Bonner County Road and Bridge to seek formal signature authority for LTAC‑sponsored contracts
Summary
Road and Bridge staff will draft a resolution asking the county commissioners to authorize the Road and Bridge director to sign sponsor documents and routine change orders for LTAC‑funded projects where the board already approved scope and budget.
Bonner County Road and Bridge staff said they will bring a resolution to the county commissioners asking for formal authority to sign sponsor documents and routine change orders on projects funded and administered by the Local Transportation Assistance Committee (LTAC).
The measure, Road and Bridge staff said, would apply to federally funded or LTAC‑funded bridge and small project contracts where the board previously approved the grant application, award and any county match. Staff said the change is intended to reduce payment delays and administrative duplication.
Jason, Road and Bridge staff, told commissioners that LTAC and other sponsors execute payments on these projects and that Road and Bridge currently signs as the project sponsor even though the funds do not pass through the county budget. “LTAC is the one that is responsible for that money. They’re responsible for the payment…they asked for my signature as a sponsor,” Jason said. He described past situations in which additional review and bringing documents back to the board created payment delays that held up contractors.
A commissioner said the county’s role in those contracts is administrative once the board has approved project scope and any match; that commissioner added, “I’m comfortable with us granting a signature authority on these specific types of contracts where the scope and budget have already been approved by the board.” Another commissioner said staff should clarify the types of contracts and that those conditions be stipulated in the resolution.
Road and Bridge staff said they would draft a resolution spelling out limits (types of contracts, dollar thresholds, and conditions such as prior board approval of scope and budget) and present it to the commissioners at a future meeting.
If adopted, the resolution would allow staff to execute sponsor signatures and routine change orders for LTAC‑ and federally funded projects where the commissioners have already approved the project and any county match, with auditing and portal payment processes unchanged. Staff emphasized that match payments on federal aid projects still must be processed through the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) portal.
The commissioners did not take a formal vote during the Road and Bridge meeting; staff committed to bring the drafted resolution back to the board for formal consideration.
Ending: The item will return to the commissioners once Road and Bridge drafts the resolution and clarifies the types of contracts, dollar thresholds and reporting/audit conditions for the proposed signature authority.
