A Busy 2022 Road Construction Season Ahead for Stearns County
ST. CLOUD -- Stearns County's road construction budget is getting a financial boost by $7.7-million in 2022.
County Engineer Jodi Teich says there are a handful of large projects that fell in the year 2022 including the County Road 12 reconstruction near New Munich, the County Road 13 bridge replacement in Melrose, and the County Road 1 project in Sartell.
But, Teich says those extra dollars are one-time funds from outside sources...
It's not wheelage tax, it's not sales tax, it's not county levy funds, or state aid funding. It's these other sources that we don't get every year. And, that amount is $7.7-million. So, that increase is more tied to the outside funding than it is tied to the funding that the county collects.
Teich says the 2022 road construction budget is at just over $24.4-million.
Teich says they are looking to add the County Road 145 project between Clearwater and Fairhaven next year because of increased revenue from the 1/4% transportation sales tax. That sales tax is set to expire at the end of 2022 and Teich says county board approval would be needed to extend it.
As part of the 2022 preliminary budget, county commissioners have also approved hiring an Engineering Technician to help cut the costs of hiring outside design consultants. Teich says it's expected to generate significant savings over time.
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