Budget Notes

This budget is funded with either gas tax funds (approximately 80%) or Measure F funds (Measure F is a County Vehicle License Fee committed to transportation, at 20% of the total). There are no other County generated funds supporting road maintenance.

• Historically, we have budgeted asphalt overlays (approximately 9 miles per year) every year. With recent decreases in gas tax and other outside sources, after 2013 we will no longer be doing overlays in the 5 year CIP, resulting in projected decrease in overall pavement condition.
• Typically, capital improvement projects are funded with state/federal, Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), or Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funds. HSIP funds are competitive based on the severity of the historical crash rate and HBP funds are based on bridge condition.

Paving Rural Roadways

As you can imagine, we get lots of requests to convert dirt roads to paved roads. Despite the budget constraints, over the past several years, we have converted a few unpaved roads to paved surfacing. We usually consider:

• Does the road meet the minimum fire safe width?
• Does the road serve overall emergency access circulation?
• How many residents does it serve?
• Does improving the road reduce our future maintenance cost of the road?
• Is there an existing accident problem?

Maintenance on Rural Roadways

We do not have adequate funding or staffing levels to have crews that frequently cruise every county road. We annually inspect all paved roads to determine Pavement Condition Index (PCI). Some of our remote dirt roads may only be visited once or twice a year for maintenance. Maintenance work on unpaved roadways typically involves activities such as re-grading and placement of base rock, pothole patching, periodic dust control over the summer months, and responding to resident concerns.

To request road maintenance, call our main telephone number: 530-265-1411 (toll-free from exchanges 268 and 269: 888-832-1411). Or submit your request online.