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Road and Bridge seeks higher material budgets, a larger asphalt 'zipper' and help retaining staff to meet 25‑mile reconstruction goal
Summary
Road and Bridge told the commissioners it wants higher allocations for soil cement and road oil, a larger 72‑inch asphalt zipper to speed base repairs (previous price cited at $340,000), leased mason‑dump trucks, and pay increases to fill six open positions needed to meet a 25‑mile annual reconstruction target.
The Road and Bridge presenter told the commissioners the department aims to reconstruct 25 miles of county roads each year and needs increased material and equipment funding to meet that goal.
"The primary function of us is to reconstruct all the roads we own ... 25 miles is their goal," the presenter said, describing required increases in base materials (soil cement) and pavement materials (road oil) that preserve subgrade and extend pavement life. He noted petroleum‑based inputs are volatile and materially affect project costs.
The department proposed several capital and lease items to improve productivity. Staff asked for a larger asphalt zipper (moving from a 48‑inch to a 72‑inch model) to do wider passes and reduce joints, telling commissioners such devices are widely used by other counties. The presenter referenced a prior price of about $340,000 for a larger model and warned market increases could require an amendment.
Road and Bridge also described leasing smaller "mason dump" trucks (3–5 cubic‑yard bodies) that can operate in narrow neighborhoods and haul spoils or small equipment, noting an example chassis lease of roughly $1,100 per month including the dump bed. The department said it currently has six open positions and is seeing recruiting and retention challenges tied to pay rates; staff asked the court to consider pay increases to remain competitive.
Commissioners discussed tradeoffs between in‑house work and contracting for chip seal and overlay work, and asked staff to analyze whether certain investments would extend roadway life enough to justify higher up‑front costs. The court recessed shortly after the presentation for a scheduled break.
