Marion County officials said they will decide after an upcoming meeting whether to move forward with road and culvert projects that require the county to provide funds up front while about $1 million in reimbursements remains unpaid.

County staff reported that some road and culvert work previously approved for reimbursement is currently on hold because the county would need to advance funds. "So it's a little risky in my opinion," a county staff member said, adding that the county has not yet received more than a million dollars that is "been hanging out there for about a couple of years." The staff member said additional information expected after a meeting tomorrow will allow the council to make a more informed decision about whether to continue or abandon those projects.

The staff member said the projects had been approved by the relevant approving agency but that the county must provide money up front in order for contractors to proceed. The council did not take a formal vote during the discussion and no motion was recorded; staff said they will return with specific project-level updates after the next meeting.

On maintenance, county staff described efforts to secure recycled asphalt millings from private contractors to patch potholes and to reuse material in resurfacing work. The staff member said they have talked with the county's resurfacing director and with Bobby Page, who handles resurfacing and milling, and that the county hopes to begin obtaining millings "in the first few weeks" so crews can address potholes more quickly.

The council's next step on the road projects is a staff update after the staff meeting that was referenced; no formal decision was recorded in the transcript excerpt.