Kern County board authorizes filing for regional road funds, eyes $30 million contingency

The Kern County Board of Supervisors at its July session authorized county staff to file applications for Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) funds to support road rehabilitation and reconstruction projects, and directed staff to seek contingency project listings that could add up to $30 million in potential funding. Public Works Director Joshua Champlin presented the request and answered board questions.

Champlin told the board the Public Works Department will submit RSTP applications to the regional council of governments, and that the county has budgeted money to meet local-match requirements. “If you note on page 2 of the revised resolution, there is a number that is referenced as $1,032,300, and what this is is the 11.4% that we're required as a local agency to match in order to get $10,000,000,” Champlin said. He added that the revised resolution sets a local-match cap “not to exceed $5,000,000” so the county can position itself to capture additional contingency funding if it becomes available.

Champlin said the county was asked by the Kern Council of Governments (KernCOG) to apply for contingency-funded projects because Kern County has a high project-delivery rate. “They directed us…we deliver over a 100% of our projects annually for both the RSTP and the congestion management air quality programs,” Champlin said, arguing that strong delivery history makes the county a good candidate for contingency allocations.

A member of the public, Lisa Pollard, described local roadway bumps and expressed support for the county’s road work. After public comment, the board voted to adopt the revised resolution authorizing filing of RSTP applications and stating the county’s commitment to fund and implement proposed projects. The motion passed 4 ayes, 1 absent.

The resolution directs staff to submit applications before a hard federal deadline this week and to provide certified copies to the county administrative office. Champlin said if contingency funds become available, the department would review the highway-user tax and other discretionary funds to determine whether the county can provide the local match and deliver the projects. No specific project list was adopted at the meeting; staff committed to design and deliver proposed improvements in a timely manner if funded.

The action authorizes staff to pursue the applications and to return with further details as needed.