County Council rejects $533,000 road paving appropriation in split vote

A divided County Council voted down a $533,000 additional appropriation that would have hired a contractor to pave 7th Road and 12B Road, with opponents arguing the project was overpriced and better handled in-house.

Councilwoman Nicole Cox and Councilman Will Patterson made the motion and seconded the request for the additional funds. The appropriation initially appeared to have majority support last month, but the October vote ultimately fell 4-3 against the measure.

During discussion, Council President Tim Harman expressed reservations about the cost. "I don't think this is a wise amount of money to spend on projects we need to be doing in-house for less," Harman said.

Councilman Brandon Schadek, who had changed his position on the additional funding, echoed those concerns. "$350,000 to $400,000 overpayment is what this is right here," Schadek said, adding that paving 7th Road would amount to over-designing a low-volume road and would be cost-prohibitive.

The vote saw Jim Masterson, Nicole Cox, and Will Patterson supporting the additional funds, while Deb Johnson, Tim Harman, Brandon Schadek, and Greg Compton voted against them, defeating the request.

During the County Commissioner’s meeting on Monday, Commissioner Jesse Bohanon questioned Highway Superintendent Jason Peters on the council's decision, noting increasing feedback that the commissioners need to make a decision on 12B and 7th Roads.

Peters said 12B has been ground and primed with binder, with the intention of paving it this season. He said the binder should hold up over winter and give the highway department a chance to identify any trouble spots before a surface is installed. Once the road's condition is assessed in the spring of 2027, the department will either pave it or apply a triple chip and seal treatment.

The highway superintendent noted that weather conditions are not favorable for chip and seal work remaining this season, as the process requires warmer temperatures to bond properly. He added that if the county were to chip and seal the road next year, they would also need to berm the road.

Bohannon said he drove the road on Sunday and noted it was not a smooth surface. Peters acknowledged it was an old hot mix road that ground up hard, but said its current condition is better than it was before.

Bohannon also highlighted changes to the Community Connections Matching Grant program, saying counties will now be allowed to outsource chip and seal projects, which could enable the county to accomplish considerably more road work.

Peters said the county has already submitted projects for the 2027 matching grant program but would like to take advantage of outsourcing chip and seal projects in 2028, potentially allowing for as much as 70 miles of chip and seal road improvements.