Road engineer seeks OK to pursue 69914 million pavement grant with 20% match

Road and bridge engineer Brian Klintzik asked the court whether he should pursue a state/nationwide pavement program that could support between $6 million and $14 million of projects for local roads. Klintzik said the program would not apply to federal/state-designated roads but could fund a large slate of local projects if Howard County can provide a 20% match or in-kind contribution.

Klintzik said preliminary estimates and an in-kind matrix suggest the county has budget room to pursue at least $6 million worth of work and that the county could spread expenditures over two fiscal years. Commissioners encouraged Klintzik to gather the program rules and timeline; Klintzik said he would share the email chain and asked whether the court wanted him to pursue the full $14 million or a smaller $6 million package. Commissioner Long and other commissioners signaled support for pursuing information and allowing staff to continue the preliminary work. Klintzik also explained the county's current grant-writer contract structure and said external grant management fees would likely be below 3% of grant administration and that some grant-writer compensation is contingent on awards.