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Josephine County budget committee reviews Public Works plan, including 33-mile chip-seal program
Summary
Public Works managers presented a FY2026–27 budget prioritizing maintenance of roughly 570 miles of county roads, plans to complete about 33 miles of chip seal work next construction season and projects to replace bridges and fleet vehicles amid funding uncertainty.
Richard Pike, Public Works Manager, and Shannon Doak, Public Works Manager, told the Josephine County Budget Committee on May 28 that the department’s FY2026–27 proposal focuses on preserving a transportation network that includes roughly 570 miles of county-maintained roads, about 170 bridges and some 13,000 culverts.
The presentation outlined major revenue sources for Public Works — state motor fuel taxes, federal forest receipts, Surface Transportation Block Grant funding, permits and interfund reimbursements — and stressed that the department does not rely on General Fund property tax revenue. Pike and Doak presented multi-year revenue and expenditure tables showing total projected resources for the Public Works program and related funds at approximately $23.96 million for FY2026–27.
A centerpiece of the request is an approximately 33-mile chip-seal program for 2026–27, shown on department slides as 33.00 miles at a projected cost of $1,287,000. Staff also reviewed bridge replacement projects and other road improvements in design or construction, some with Oregon Department of Transportation match funding, and listed road-specific capital items proposed from the Road & Bridge Reserve.
Committee members pressed staff on fleet replacement timing, reserve funding for vehicles and the methodology used to set replacement rates. Pike and Doak described the equipment reserve lists and the department’s approach to prioritizing road and bridge improvements when transportation funding is uncertain or variable.
The committee did not take formal action on the Public Works budget at the May 28 session; Chair Gary Richardson confirmed the Budget Committee will reconvene to continue review of the FY2026–27 budget.
