Todd County weighs paving priorities and funding; County Road 81 request tabled for work session

Todd County commissioners spent significant time Nov. 18 debating how to prioritize and fund road projects, including a long-running request to pave County Road 81.

Commissioner Becker said township residents had collected signatures and repeatedly asked the county to move Road 81 up the list for tar-and-chip or pavement. County public works engineer Lauren described the county’s ranking system — which includes traffic volume, population served, commissioner recommendation and petitions — and said Road 81 had moved from ninth to sixth in rank but still faces a multi-year timeline because of funding constraints. Based on current price assumptions, Lauren estimated paving Road 81 would cost roughly $1.0 million to $1.2 million.

Commissioners discussed possible funding options: local option sales tax revenue (the county’s half-percent local transportation tax brings in roughly $1.4–$1.5 million per year), borrowing against future receipts, raising local levies or pursuing a license-tab fee increase. Several commissioners asked for an engineer’s estimate and a full funding package before committing to move the route into an active bid timeline. Commissioner Nasca and others urged that the item be brought back to a work session with cost estimates and documentation; the board moved to table the resolution for further review.

At the same meeting the board approved several road-related funding actions: a resolution of support for the City of Clarissa to act as fiscal host and apply for MnDOT Local Road Improvement Program (LRIP) funding for a Bridge Street project; authorization to apply for LRIP/local urban improvement funds for County Road 5 (an estimated $2.6 million project requesting about $1.3 million in local urban funds); nomination for federal ATIP funding for County Road 24; and approval of the county’s 2026 bridge priority replacement list.

Engineer Lauren said the local option sales tax has been a reliable revenue source and that the five-year plan includes some high-ranked routes, but that money and scheduling constraints mean projects often remain years out. Commissioners asked staff to prepare realistic timelines and cost estimates and to return the Road 81 petition and resolution to a near-term work session so residents have clarity on timing.