Road board update: $40 million annual sales‑tax revenue funds 100 active projects and $98.5M obligated in 2026

Amanda Brower, managing director for the county road board, briefed the council on how the transportation sales tax is allocated, the 3‑year TIP process and current project status.

Brower said the transportation sales tax, enacted in 1985 and reauthorized four times, generates roughly $40 million annually for roadway mobility and safety improvements. The county’s TIP currently lists about 100 active projects sponsored by 11 jurisdictions; project costs range from approximately $250,000 to projects up to $30 million (David Hochul Parkway). Brower said 86 projects are in design or right‑of‑way acquisition and 14 are in construction, and that about $98.5 million is obligated to projects in 2026 due to earlier delays.

Council members asked whether federal funding requirements or project design standards require wider multiuse paths or added lanes. Brower explained the Guetermuth path was widened from a typical 10‑foot path to a 14‑foot path so it can safely accommodate golf carts and bikes; the city paid the differential. On another corridor (Dingle/Dine), Brower said county highway planned to repave later in the year and that the county was not at risk of losing federal funds for not including bike lanes.

Brower also described coordination with MoDOT on corridor planning and noted that the county will submit cost‑share credits to seek MoDOT reimbursement in 2027–28 for certain phases of a major project. She encouraged residents to use the county’s web map for project details and noted the road board meets quarterly with public participation.

Council members pressed on the road board’s forward‑funding approach and on interest earned by an economic development fund (about $10 million); Brower said interest accrues and project planning accounts for available balances. The presentation concluded with an invitation for residents to contact the road board with traffic signal concerns.