Quorum Court committee advances $445,000 road‑fund ordinance after department details heavy maintenance costs

The Washington County Quorum Court advanced an ordinance to the full court on a due‑pass recommendation to cover cost overruns in the county road fund, after Director Crowder told justices the department ran a historic maintenance program this year and is short of budgeted funds.

The measure would appropriate additional money out of the road fund’s unappropriated reserves to cover cost escalations identified during the season. The committee voted to send the ordinance to the full quorum court with a due‑pass recommendation.

Director Crowder said the department used a pavement condition index (PCI) to prioritize work and that many county roads had deteriorated under previous maintenance practices. “The PCI is 0 to 100%…0 being we’re in trouble,” Crowder said, adding that the county stabilized many roads this year through chip seal and other preventive treatments to avoid costlier replacement later.

Crowder said about 200 miles of maintenance work were completed this year and that the department’s plan for next year would focus on roughly 65 miles and on shoulder work, fog lines and targeted asphalt repairs. He told the committee that stabilizing roads now avoids much larger replacement costs later: “The money that we spent this year, multiply that times 3 to 4 times if we didn’t do what we did this year.”

Justices asked about specific line items. Crowder acknowledged the department had “spent that much money that was not in our budget,” referring to an overage discussed in the packet of about $395,854. He said seasonal timing and market volatility for fuel and materials made estimates difficult and forced some leasing and outsourcing decisions.

Crowder explained the road department leased multiple pieces of equipment under a single lease category, including a crusher and rollers, and said breakdowns and extra repair costs increased the lease line item. He also said outsourcing slurry work for subdivision streets required an out‑of‑area contractor and bid of about $349,000, because the county lacked slurry application equipment.

Justices and other speakers praised the road crew’s efforts and asked about quality and the visible chips left on shoulders after chip seal operations. Crowder explained the chip‑seal process, variability in rock chip size and machine calibration, and said crews are learning and that some machine refurbishment is under way. He said the county saved more than $1 million by producing its own rock using the county crusher rather than buying rock off‑site, despite equipment maintenance costs.

The motion to advance the ordinance to the full court carried on a voice vote. The committee did not record individual roll‑call tallies for the ordinance in the committee session.

If approved by the full quorum court, the ordinance would authorize transfers from unappropriated road‑fund reserves to cover this year’s shortfalls and lease or maintenance line‑item increases. Director Crowder said the department expects to resume a more regular maintenance schedule next year, with an emphasis on shoulders and safety improvements once roads have been stabilized.

Votes at a glance: the committee moved the road‑fund appropriation to the full quorum court with a due‑pass recommendation (motion to send carried by voice vote; mover and second recorded in meeting minutes).