Montezuma County road staff propose raising road-breach fee to encourage boring over pavement cuts

Montezuma County road staff proposed raising the county's fee for breaching asphalt from the current level to $3,000 to encourage contractors and utilities to bore under roads rather than cut them, county staff said at a workshop April 7.

The proposal, presented by Rob (Road Department staff), is intended to make boring (which staff said costs roughly $2,800 with a contractor) less expensive than cutting and repairing a paved road. "Let's push them away from the road. Let's preserve the road is my theory," Rob said.

Staff reviewed the road department's permit structure: an existing driveway permit for improving a driveway is currently $125; staff compared local fees with neighboring counties, saying La Plata charges $100 for an existing driveway permit, Dolores charges $175, and Mesa charges $10. For utility or road-breach permits, staff said La Plata requires a bond rather than a fee, Dolores requires $100 plus proof of insurance, and Mesa charges $25. The county's current road-breach fee was cited as $1,000.

High-impact disturbed areas were described in staff materials as being charged by square foot (staff noted about $5 per square foot for large cuts), while low-impact trenching farther from the shoulder follows different rules. Staff said the county nets roughly $17,000 a year from permitting and is not proposing the change to raise revenue but to protect road surfaces.

A commissioner asked whether the fee applied to small utility trenching or larger cuts; staff responded that small utility lines are typically bored and that both cutting and restoration require compaction back to 95 percent.

No formal vote was taken on the fee change during the workshop; staff characterized the recommendation as something commissioners could approve, adjust or reject.

The board planned to revisit or take up formal action at a subsequent meeting if commissioners direct staff to do so.