Council adopts TruckeeDirt grant program to fund local dirt-trail projects using Measure U revenue

Truckee Town Council unanimously adopted a 2025 grant program on Jan. 28 that will make Measure U revenue available to nonprofit organizations, homeowners associations and government entities to build and maintain prioritized dirt trails in and near Truckee.

Staff proposed a program that would allocate a maximum of $750,000 for projects in 2025, roughly 20% of the expected annual Measure U revenue. The TruckeeDirt program is designed to funnel tax revenue to community partners that can implement trail construction and maintenance without substantially increasing town staff workload.

"The purpose and goal of these guidelines are to facilitate the implementation of priority dirt trail projects through a streamlined administrative process in order to keep staff time minimal while ensuring fiscal responsibility of Measure U revenue," Economic Development staff told the council.

Eligible projects must be included in the town's Trails and Bikeways Master Plan, with one exception: staff recommended allowing funding for a soft-surface trail parallel to the Legacy Trail because the community has repeatedly prioritized that connection. Project applicants must demonstrate permitting, land tenure or right-of-way readiness and be prepared to comply with prevailing-wage rules for construction.

The program schedule calls for a fund-adoption resolution (adopted Jan. 28), a call for projects on Feb. 3, application due date on March 14 and council award recommendations aimed for the April 22 meeting. A staff review panel will score applications on master-plan priority, applicant capacity, budget realism, leverage of outside funds and readiness to proceed.

Awarded projects will sign a town agreement that defines deliverables, schedule, prevailing-wage compliance and reimbursement processes; reimbursements will be issued within 30 days of acceptance of supporting documentation. Staff said grantees must provide quarterly progress reports and a final delivery report within six months of project completion.

Why it matters: Truckee has identified multiple dirt-trail priorities that would expand non-motorized access and link neighborhoods to the river corridor and town amenities. The grant program aims to accelerate locally prioritized trail projects using voter-approved Measure U revenue while minimizing added town staff workload.

What happens next: Staff will post the call for projects Feb. 3, accept nominations through March 14, and return funding recommendations to council for approval in April. Grantees must meet eligibility and permitting requirements and execute a town agreement before funds are disbursed.