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Transportation department outlines 20-year road plan, MCOG sales-tax feasibility study and local projects
Summary
The Transportation Department presented a 20-year corrective and preventative maintenance plan, described a proposed Mendocino Council of Governments feasibility study for a sales-tax measure for roads, and reviewed long-term capital projects including bridges, safety projects and airports.
The Mendocino County Department of Transportation briefed the board on road maintenance, long-term capital needs and a possible county sales-tax measure to raise road funds.
Director Howard DeShields and Alicia Whittaker (Deputy Director, Engineering) said the county is midway through a 20-year plan (year 7) funded in part by Senate Bill 1 (RMRA funds) and is treating roughly 357 of the county's surfaced roads under that plan. The department reported a pavement-condition index (PCI) of 47 in 2022 versus a statewide average of 65 and cited a statewide unmet pavement need estimate of roughly $574,000,000 over 10 years.
Mendocino Council of Governments (MCOG) will hire a consultant this spring to analyze the feasibility of a county unincorporated-area sales tax (the department discussed a one-cent example). Whittaker said a one-cent dedicated sales tax could generate an estimated $90,000,000 over 30 years and be used to treat additional surface miles currently outside the 20-year plan; a half-cent would yield less and stretch the schedule accordingly. The department emphasized that most routine maintenance funds do not come from competitive grants, so a dedicated local revenue source would allow broader routine treatment across more miles.
DeShields and staff also reviewed other long-term projects: 13 bridge replacements, highway-safety projects, the North State Street roundabouts, Brook Trail second access and multiple storm-damage repairs. The department advised supervisors that many grants pay 100% of capital project costs but that grant eligibility ("on-system" vs "off-system" roads) limits where federal funds may be used.
Supervisors discussed options if the board had incremental carryover funds: staff said additional one-time county contributions are feasible and could be added to corrective-maintenance contracts in targeted areas. DeShields cautioned that restoring road maintenance worker positions is more sustainable with ongoing funding rather than one-time money.
Why this matters: The county's road network condition and funding choices affect daily transportation safety, emergency access and long-term infrastructure costs. A local sales-tax measure or added county contributions would change the scale and schedule of surface treatment.
