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Mariposa officials warn roads will fail without major new funding as repairs rise
Summary
Public Works Director Shannon Hansen told the Board of Supervisors the county needs far more revenue to prevent widespread road failure, citing deteriorating culverts and a projected drop in available project funds; the CAO said the county lacks the revenue to cover the full request and outlined debt and grant options.
Public Works Director Shannon Hansen told the Mariposa County Board of Supervisors on April 22 that the county’s road network faces accelerating decline unless the board provides substantially more funding or secures large outside financing. "With existing funding we have, by 2031 our roads will be in failing condition," Hansen said, describing crumbling culverts, recurring guardrail crashes and bridges that need environmental work to keep state funds flowing.
Hansen said the county’s roads budget is currently estimated at about $6 million in revenue, with fixed costs for salaries and equipment leaving roughly $409,000 available for projects this year — down from about $668,000 the prior year. To maintain the current system, she said the county would need an additional roughly $6.8 million; to improve roads would require still more. For the upcoming budget she asked the board to consider increasing the Measure M match by $1 million and noted a notional request for an additional $10 million from the general fund to address deferred maintenance, build fuels‑reduction capacity and buy equipment lost when a long‑running Fish Camp contractor ceased service.
County Administrative Officer Joe Lynch cautioned the board that general revenues are stagnant and the county does not have $10 million in unallocated funds. "Our revenue has not increased," Lynch said, noting tourism and sales tax receipts remain flat and that large projects would likely require grants, loans or bonds. "If we do not get grant funding, there is no other funding," he added, and described ongoing conversations with financial advisors and agencies about bonds and other financing options.
Supervisor Poe urged urgency in pursuing funding and said failing pavement already affects residents in remote districts. "We're going to have roads that fail," Poe said, citing local examples where pavement has already dropped to single‑digit condition scores. Board members and staff discussed pursuing grants where applicable, but public‑works staff said many available grants are safety‑focused and require accident data they do not always have. Hansen said she will continue to pursue FEMA, state and grant opportunities while presenting realistic cost estimates for major repair packages.
The board did not adopt new funding measures at the meeting. Staff said next steps include pursuing grants and seeking additional analysis and recommendations on financing mechanisms, and returning with a prioritized list of capital projects and potential funding scenarios.
