The Washington County Budget Committee voted unanimously to approve the fiscal year 2025'26 Urban Road Maintenance District (URMD) budget of $19,213,564 and to levy the district's permanent property tax rate of $0.2456 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Sherry Gray, URMD coordinator, and Todd Watkins, Division Manager for LUT Operations, described the district's purpose: to maintain neighborhood and local streets inside the urban growth boundary that are not city streets. They told the committee URMD serves roughly 216,000 residents across nearly 70,000 tax lots and generated about $6.6 million in URMD assessments in the prior fiscal year.

Gray said the district's primary mandate is maintenance of local streets and stressed that URMD does not hire its own crews; work is performed under contract by county operations. She said the district's assessment rate has been effectively permanent since it was moved onto the permanent tax roll in the mid‑1990s and explained that the current rate (0.2456) reflects that historical calculation.

Pavement condition and planned treatments: staff told the committee the URMD network has been managed at an average pavement condition index (PCI) near 85 in recent years but is trending toward the board‑established target of 75. Gray and Watkins said pavement treatments extend life when timed correctly: for fiscal year 2026 the district plans to apply slurry seal on about 24 miles of local streets and overlay about 4 miles. Presenters noted material and contractor costs have risen sharply: slurry seal cost rose about 45% from 2020 to 2024 and overlay costs more than doubled in the same period.

Program priorities and tradeoffs: presenters said the Pedestrian and Biking Improvement (PBI) program, which funded sidewalks, ramps and bike infrastructure, has been paused to prioritize pavement maintenance; however, projects already selected for construction will be completed. The committee heard about a recently launched sidewalk repair grant program that reimburses homeowners for up to $2,000 (50% of the lowest contractor bid or invoice) for repairs that meet county design and ADA standards; that program is in its second year and had seven grant applications in progress by April 1 of the prior fiscal year.

Questions from committee members focused on the PCI target, the rising cost of treatments, district boundaries and whether the URMD assessment should be revisited. Commissioner Schneider and other members urged the board and staff to review whether the PCI target remains the most cost‑effective long‑term standard; staff said the target was established by the Board of Commissioners and that the district has historically managed treatments to avoid more expensive reconstruction.

Fiscal picture: staff presented a beginning fund balance near $12 million and projected revenues of roughly $7 million for the coming year, with a target contingency of $5 million retained for cash flow and unforeseen costs. Committee members asked about additional revenue options; staff said changing the permanent rate would require board action and, if pursued, voter approval in the district.

Committee action: Budget committee member Anthony Mills moved to approve the URMD budget and levy; the motion was seconded and passed on a unanimous voice vote. The committee recorded that construction of previously selected PBI projects will proceed while new PBI project selections remain paused in favor of maintenance.

The committee recessed after completing the URMD vote and adjourned the session.