Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Works topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Skagit County public works says staffing cuts and winter floods stretched road crews
Summary
Operations Division Manager John Davidson told commissioners the county manages 801 miles of roadway, 114 bridges and 3,200 culverts with 53 positions and that December floods left significant damage (including a washed section of Rockport Cascade Road) that will wait for fish‑window and external funding for permanent repairs.
John Davidson, the county Operations Division manager, told the Skagit County Board of Commissioners on March 24 that the county’s road crews are operating at the lowest staffing level in two decades even as the scope of work has grown.
Davidson said the county maintains 801 miles of roadway, 114 bridges and more than 3,200 cross culverts, and that the division now has 53 filled positions across seven groups, down from 63 in 2019. He described a chip‑seal program that treats roughly 60 miles a year and a system of job‑cost tracking that records labor, equipment and materials by activity to improve budgeting and forecasting.
The division reviewed damage from the December floods, listing sites including a washed section at Rockport Cascade Road at Jordan Creek, shoulder damage on Baker Lake Road and multiple plugged culverts on Sauk Store Road. Davidson said some repairs are delayed because work near streams must wait for the applicable fish‑window — typically mid‑June or mid‑July through the end of September — and because final restoration will depend on state and federal funding.
Commissioners pressed him on cleanup logistics and timeline. Davidson said crews can perform temporary fixes and haul materials but permanent repairs will often require coordination with the county engineering group and permits that slow work. An exchange noted that some cleanup moved hundreds of thousands of tons of material and that contractor access and equipment staging are constrained while waterways remain high.
Davidson and commissioners discussed how emergency responses and chip‑seal activities are coordinated across districts. He said flood events are handled in individual districts while chip‑seal is a coordinated countywide effort; when chip‑seal is underway, crews are pooled to maximize production.
Jason Bloodgood, ER&R division manager, briefed the board on fleet and shop operations. He said ER&R supports 32 departments with over 400 pieces of equipment, operates heavy lifts and an overhead crane, and manages the county’s central stores for culverts, traffic paint and other materials. He noted a pending August contract change for fuel services and rising insurance and supply‑chain costs that affect maintenance timelines.
The commissioners thanked staff for the work and pledged continued attention to permitting and funding constraints. The board adjourned the morning session to reconvene at 9:30 a.m. on a separate agenda item.
The commissioners did not take formal action on the report; it was presented for briefing and discussion.
