Board of County Commissioners hears Road and Bridge budget draft

The Board of County Commissioners met with Assistant County Manager for Public Works Martin Schmidt, Chief Finance Officer Melissa LaMonica, and Deputy Chief Finance Officer Mark Rozman on Oct. 27 to review the 2027 Road and Bridge draft budget, with a focus on separating construction costs from routine maintenance and explaining how funding sources support each.

The board clarified the difference between construction-related expenses and maintenance expenses: Construction involves building or substantially rebuilding infrastructure, such as a new road, a full road rebuild or the Brush Creek Roundabout; maintenance is the recurring work that keeps existing roads usable and helps extend their life. The cost difference is substantial: Rebuilding an asphalt road costs about $3 million per mile, whereas maintaining a paved road in good condition costs roughly $200,000 per mile.

Winter maintenance depends on snowfall, while prolonged rain can cause mud and damage roads and drainage infrastructure. The 2027 winter-maintenance estimate uses a longer-term trend because the previous two years were unusually inexpensive.

The Brush Creek Roundabout is a major construction project that will begin in 2027 with $523,883 in the 2026 projected budget. The county expects a substantial amount of Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant funding to come in for the project.

“We've been conservative over the last couple years to build our fund balance because of grants that we have to have match funds for,” Schmidt said. “They're large enough grants that the match is a large amount of money, so if we're aiming for that 33% to 50% reserve after the Safe Streets for All grant is completed, we will be at that advisory amount of reserve funding.”

Cash matches have become increasingly required, whereas some work or equipment time could previously count as an in-kind contribution. In-kind staff time may still qualify, but activities such as operating a motor grader are harder to count toward a match now.

Road and Bridge continues to pursue grants, including applications to replace two poorly rated bridges and a Federal Lands Access Program grant for work on County Road 76. If both grants are awarded, budget amendments will be made to reflect the additional funding and project spending.

It was noted that Road and Bridge funds stay in that account and are used only for Road and Bridge purposes.

The county’s local match includes a sales tax transfer and a $100,000 contribution from the RTA. The project had originally been expected to start in the fall, but delays in reviewing the project package meant some of the anticipated spending did not occur as planned.

Commissioner Laura Puckett Daniels questioned an apparent $900,000 increase in budget personnel costs. Schmidt explained that it doesn’t reflect a large expansion in Road and Bridge staffing. The increase was mainly attributed to comparing a lower 2026 spending projection, affected by vacancies, with the 2027 budget plus a smaller effect from changes in how employee benefits are allocated. Road and Bridge staffing is planned around winter plowing, but the department needs more labor in the summer. When positions or seasonal roles go unfilled, qualified equipment operators may have to flag traffic instead of operating equipment, reducing efficiency. In the winter season, supervisors, mechanics and landfill staff may have to step in and help cover plowing, which gets the work done but creates ripple effects elsewhere.

Separately, a 4.5% cost-of-living increase and changes to employee insurance contributions were discussed as part of the broader budget update.

The total 2027 draft budget revenues are $15,117,924, while total expenses are projected at $14,748,517, resulting in a net change in fund balance of $359,407. Of this total, $448,460 is projected for maintenance expenses and $79,053 for construction expenses.