Polk County Public Works outlines 2025 budget; requests two water‑resources positions, no new ongoing decision‑package funds

Brett Vanderloon, Polk County Public Works director, presented the department’s 2025 budget to the Board of Supervisors, saying estimated revenue is $12,700,000, requested expenses total $29,800,000 and current staffing is about 97.5 full‑time equivalent positions. Vanderloon told supervisors the department is not asking for new ongoing money tied to its decision packages and that some requests are offset by grants and program changes.

The department projects a 7.6 percent decrease in revenue driven by elimination of several prior‑year appropriations, Vanderloon said. Noted reductions include roughly $4.1 million tied to the prior‑year NFC major home repair program, about $2.5 million previously planned reimbursement related to the Burwick (also referred to as Berwick) bridge project, and nearly $900,000 in prior‑year EPA sustainability grant carryover. Vanderloon also cited smaller adjustments: an estimated $29,000 increase in permit charges and a $15,000 decision‑package revenue estimate tied to matching grant activity.

Why it matters: the Public Works budget funds roads, bridges, water and sewer projects, building permits and housing services that affect unincorporated areas and partner cities across Polk County.

Most of the department’s expense decreases reflect elimination of one‑time or prior‑year carryovers, Vanderloon said. Personnel costs are projected to rise modestly; the budget includes a $400,000 personal‑services increase and smaller adjustments for reimbursements and emergency assistance programs such as energy crisis intervention payments. Vanderloon said grant carryovers and one‑time ARPA allocations that appeared in last year’s budget are not in the 2025 request.

Among decision packages, Vanderloon described a request for two new positions in water resources — a water‑resources planner and a water‑resources specialist — which he said are needed because the water program has reached current capacity. He described about $275,000 of costs associated with expanding work in water resources but emphasized the department plans to offset those costs through program changes rather than ask for new ongoing county funds. “If we get them, we’ll be able to keep things moving forward. If not, we’re going to have to figure out ways to keep getting things done, but probably reduce some of the things that we’re able to accomplish,” Vanderloon said.

The presentation highlighted recent accomplishments and ongoing capital projects: completion of the Burwick bridge replacement, bridge replacements at Southeast 40th Avenue/8th Street and Northeast 50th Avenue (converted to box culverts), and multiple phases of the Broadway corridor project. Vanderloon said the county recently received an $11.5 million railroad crossing elimination grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration to help fund the Broadway railroad‑grade separation; he said the project remains complex and is slated for completion around the end of 2028.

Public Works also described an air‑quality monitoring site that is now federally recognized and a planned East High School monitoring site funded through EPA/Inflation Reduction Act money to address potential impacts in disadvantaged communities. Vanderloon noted the division’s weatherization and emergency home‑repair work (about 200–300 weatherization projects and more than 300 emergency home repairs last year) and said the department will go live with OpenGov permitting and licensing software next week to allow online permit applications.

Capital spending for 2025 includes $14.26 million in proposed capital expenditures: roughly $6.8 million for roads (including right‑of‑way), $4.0 million for bridges (roughly one million per bridge on four bridges), about $1.0 million for equipment and $2.3 million for sewer and water. Vanderloon said the roads program plans about 14 miles of HMA overlay and projects that federal, state and MPO funding will be leveraged alongside county secondary‑roads funds.

On fleet, Public Works proposed about $1.0 million for vehicle replacement, primarily three heavy‑duty plow trucks, and described a new equipment replacement scoring process to stagger replacements rather than replace large groups at once.

Supervisors asked questions about coordination with Conservation’s water‑quality monitoring work, railroad coordination and long‑term timelines for Broadway. Vanderloon explained Conservation’s role focuses more on water monitoring and ecology while Public Works emphasizes implementation and construction on projects, and he said both offices coordinate closely. Several supervisors also pressed for more detail on carryover amounts and line‑item clarifications; Vanderloon and staff identified specific carryover sums as project‑related funds that will be spent as projects move between fiscal years.

Ending: Vanderloon closed by reiterating the department’s emphasis on using grants and program adjustments to limit new ongoing county funding and by flagging upcoming public hearings and construction phases for the Broadway corridor and several sanitary‑sewer projects in unincorporated townships. The board moved on to a conservation presentation after a brief question period.