Boone County’s highway director briefed the administration committee on bridge projects, funding and the department’s near‑term equipment needs.

The director said many bridge contractors are busy now but that he expects availability to increase over the next year, and he highlighted recently submitted work to secure off‑system bridge funding that could substantially reduce the county’s bridge deficit. He told the committee that a mix of grant awards, increases in program funding and motor‑fuel tax revenue have improved the county’s cash‑flow outlook for bridge work.

He explained that the county operates three highway‑related funds (highway fund, bridge fund and matching fund) totaling roughly $1.5 million and that motor‑fuel tax distributions amount to about another $1.5 million. The director noted an earlier motor‑fuel tax increase (from 19¢ to 38¢ per gallon in 2019) and that half the motor‑fuel tax is tied to CPI, meaning future revenue will rise with inflation.

The highway director said an aging forklift will be replaced using existing highway fund equipment line items and that a bid will be developed in coming months.

Board members pressed for more detail on the share of revenue coming from truck taxes (one member asked specifically and the director said “4 and a half cents, I believe”) and expressed appreciation for a forthcoming expense‑side presentation to complement the revenue overview.