After hours of testimony about cultural grants, the Volusia County Council turned to infrastructure and requested staff return with a workshop and concrete funding scenarios to address a long list of roads, bridges and sidewalks.

Tad Kasbier, the county engineer, and Ben (Public Works staff) briefed the council on priority roads and maintenance needs beyond the normal capacity and safety projects. The presentation identified scour damage to a bridge on Taylor Road near Spruce Creek, active repair needs including a “crutch‑bent” solution with an estimated cost of roughly $750,000, and a set of longer‑term projects that could require tens of millions of dollars to build capacity or replace bridges.

Councilmembers framed the problem as long-term: local gas-tax receipts have not kept pace with construction inflation, and the county’s roughly 1,000 miles of road will require sustained funding. Staff laid out the principal funding options: bonding tied to the gas tax (historically used in Volusia), general obligation bonds (referendum required), a dedicated local millage for roads (model used by nearby cities), a sales-tax referendum, and continued leveraging of state DOT and federal grants.

Councilmember Danny Robbins emphasized that some bridge work is urgent and noted staff has programmed approximately $5 million in the current budget for near-term repairs; Ben said the county planned to use that appropriation to start work on the Taylor Road scour repair and had other scour projects in the pipeline.

Councilmembers asked staff to narrow the funding menu and to rule out options the Council does not want studied further; several members signaled they would not support a sales tax, while others asked that no option be foreclosed without analysis. Several members said they preferred a hybrid approach — some bonding with a smaller dedicated millage to sustain future work — while others urged prioritizing projects and preparing a voter-facing list before any referendum.

The council reached consensus to have staff prepare a detailed workshop and return in early 2026 with scenarios showing potential project lists, estimated costs, tax or bond impacts and timelines so the council can set priorities and a funding plan.