Highway staff flag General Transportation Aid discrepancy and outline LRIP/STP/ARIP funding options

Highway Department staff told the committee that the General Transportation Aid (GTA) numbers in the packet are likely skewed and that they have asked the Department of Revenue to recalculate the county’s 2026 figure.

"Our 6 year average is right around that $12.04," Highway staff (S2) said while explaining anomalies in the packet: a submitted 2024 figure of $26,000,000 distorted the preliminary calculation and staff urged members not to rely on the current packet figure until corrected.

Staff also reviewed state and federal funding programs. They described LRIP (Local Road Improvement Program) as a state‑funded allocation typically used for county highway improvement projects (a CHI award can be in the vicinity of $200,000 for a county project). STP (Surface Transportation Program) is competitive and typically an 80/20 federal/local match used for roads and bridges. The Agriculture Road Improvement Program (ARIP), created in 2024, has eligibility limits (local roads and minor collectors only) and included $50 million in the first round and another $100 million in a later round in the last cycle.

In the annual highlights, staff said the county certified mileage decreased slightly from 425.24 to 424.7 after a jurisdictional transfer and that the county completed 13.5 miles of roadways in 2024. Staff noted County Road B was the major 2024 project, with an overall cost of about $6.9 million; the county’s local share was reduced because bids came in below some estimates and the county received a $1 million state grant for the north phase.

Committee members suggested adding comparative metrics and a rank for road condition in the annual report (examples: peer county construction per mile and condition rank) to give the full board context for budget decisions. Staff agreed to provide additional comparative information for the next reporting cycle.