Adams County staff present 5‑year CIP; commissioners direct stakeholder process for new fuels impact funds

Adams County public works staff on Monday presented the second part of a revised five‑year capital improvement plan (CIP), asked commissioners to set the department’s 2026 work slate, and outlined how the county could use a new state “fuels impact” enterprise fund to accelerate large transportation and bridge projects.

Brian Staley, Public Works director, said the CIP update is intended for ongoing review and decisionmaking: “The CIP plan is a living document that you all will begin this year, and we will review ... you all will always have an opportunity to review and then make decisions based upon that discussion.” Staley told the board the department had compiled an extensive file of project materials—about 4.5 gigabytes—and had added a new budget table showing original budgets and year‑over‑year changes.

The presentation flagged two funding items that commissioners focused on: (1) a $12.8 million balance the county already has from the state fuels impact enterprise fund created by Senate Bill 2328 and (2) continuing annual distributions Staley described as “about $6.4 million annually” tied to that program. Staley said the statute requires funds awarded to be spent or allocated to projects that are substantially underway by the program’s deadlines (staff identified a December 2029 spending milestone in the slide deck).

Why it matters: county staff said the fuels impact fund is intended primarily to mitigate freight impacts and improve safety, and commissioners pressed for a process that balances…