North Bethany road district approves FY 2026–27 budget and $1.25 property-tax levy

Washington County land-use staff presented the proposed fiscal year 2026–27 budget for the North Bethany County Service District for Roads and the committee voted unanimously to approve the measure and levy a permanent property tax rate of $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Steven Roberts, director of land use and transportation for Washington County, opened the presentation by reviewing the district’s role in funding road improvements in North Bethany, highlighting the recent completion of Springville Road Phase 4 and the Kaiser Road Phase 1 project now under construction. Roberts told the committee the district is expected to generate a little more than $1.5 million in property-tax revenue this year and that the county projects an ending fund balance of about $4.4 million in FY 2026–27, with roughly $3.8 million uncommitted after planned expenditures.

Why it matters: the district’s property tax is the most steady funding source remaining as one-time revenues tied to development ebb; staff said they plan to use a pay-as-you-go approach to match available revenues with the highest-priority projects. Roberts said the county will reconvene an informal budget subcommittee in fall 2026 when preliminary designs and refined cost estimates for two priority projects — Kaiser Road Phase 2 and the Shackleford Road west gap — are expected to be available.

On projects and timing, Roberts described Kaiser Road Phase 1 as under construction and estimated the total project cost at about $7.8 million. He said a temporary road-closure plan is scheduled from June 15 to Aug. 16 to raise the road elevation 4–5 feet at a low point, with timing chosen to minimize impacts to Sawto Elementary and to reopen before school starts.

Committee members pressed staff on the Shackleford Road alignment and funding. Community member Dan Reed asked whether an alignment change around wetlands would alter design classifications; Roberts replied the east and west segments will meet at a four-way intersection and that the eastern alignment is expected to be completed by development (not public funding). For the west gap, staff said they are considering narrowing to two lanes and removing a center turn lane to reduce environmental impacts and costs.

Commissioner Harrington asked whether completing the current list of projects would allow the service district to sunset. Roberts said one remaining project (number 9 on the project map) — a future extension of Shackleford Road across currently rural land to 185th Avenue — is tied to future development and the urban growth boundary, so the district and its levy are likely to remain in place and the committee will likely convene in future years.

Public input: the chair opened the public hearing; no members of the public in the auditorium or online signed up to speak.

The vote: a member moved to approve the proposed FY 2026–27 budget and levy; the motion was seconded and the committee recorded the motion passing 8–0. The motion as read in the meeting included an amount stated as "$11,400,014,454"; that figure appears inconsistent with other budget figures discussed during the presentation and is likely a transcription or typographical error. The committee did not provide an amended figure on the record during the meeting.

What’s next: staff will finalize preliminary designs and updated cost estimates over the summer and present them to the reconvened subcommittee in fall 2026 for prioritization and next-step funding decisions. The budget will be forwarded to the full Board of County Commissioners for formal adoption.