County engineer moves Collins 20 project funds, proposes shifting one project to farm-to-market to reduce FY26 local spending

Darren Moon, Story County engineer, told supervisors the Collins 20 Bridge box culvert came in larger than estimated and the project budget should increase from $175,000 to about $215,000. To absorb that and other increases in the FY26 reestimate, Moon proposed moving project #5 out of local funding and into farm‑to‑market funding, which would delay that work by about a year.

Moon explained the shift would reduce the county’s FY26 local construction reestimate by roughly $180,000 after the changes and an additional $150,000 adjustment tied to a federal reimbursement project. A county participant asked for clarification about whether the two projects in question were currently shown as local; Moon confirmed the first project would remain in the current year while project #5 would be moved to the farm‑to‑market process and scheduled in FY27.

Moon also reviewed FY27 project proposals, including a tentative $700,000 budget for a 640th Avenue bridge (he estimated actual cost may be closer to $500,000–$600,000) and an Indian Creek replacement that would convert a wood bridge to a box culvert. Moon noted the county must initially pay local funds for some federal‑reimbursement projects and then receive reimbursement in a following year.

Separately, Moon said Huxley notified the county it had a RISE grant to pave the first half-mile of 560th south of 210 and was seeking county support for completing the work; Moon said he had not yet been contacted about timing and that paving a local road would need to be considered in the five‑year program or in the local budget.

No formal vote was taken on any of the reprogramming steps during the work session; staff were asked to update the spreadsheets and provide revised reestimates for board review.