Latest news with #RoadFund
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- CBS News
Work begins on Franklin Boulevard bridge replacement near Cosumnes River Preserve
SACRAMENTO COUNTY – Construction has begun on the replacement bridge near the Cosumnes River Preserve in southern Sacramento County. On Monday, the preserve announced that crews had begun work on the Franklin Bridge. Plans have been in the works for more than a decade to replace the timber trestle bridge along Franklin Boulevard over the Lost Slough. Bridge update! ~ Sacramento County has begun construction on the Franklin Bridge. They estimate the re-opening to be in October of 2025. Stay tuned for updates. Posted by Cosumnes River Preserve on Monday, May 19, 2025 The new bridge is planned to have two 12-foot traffic lanes and 6-foot paved shoulders, giving enough space for future Class II bicycle lanes. With a cost of around $11.3 million, Sacramento County officials say the project is being funded by the Federal High Bridge Replacement program and the Road Fund. Franklin Boulevard north of Desmond Road has been closed for some time in anticipation of the construction work. People aiming to get to the Cosumnes River Preserve from Elk Grove will need to detour around the work by taking Twin Cities Road to Bruceville Road, then onto Desmond Road before rejoining Franklin Boulevard. Sacramento County officials anticipate the new bridge to be ready by around October 2025.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Whatcom County's road budget woes will require some creative accounting
Whatcom County's Public Works Department is having a bit of a cash flow problem, and the County Council is being asked to change its accounting rules so that bills can be paid on time. At issue is the Road Fund, which is a budget category where part of the county's property collections and its share of the state gas tax is allocated. State and federal grant money for road projects goes there too, and that's where money comes from to pay for road construction, repairs, snow removal and related projects. That fund is sometimes in the red when money is needed to pay the bills during the busy summer construction season, Public Works director Elizabeth Kosa told the County Council in a committee meeting Tuesday. It's partly because of higher labor and material costs, a drop in gas tax receipts, and also linked to the timing of property tax collections in spring and fall. 'We have a much higher budget authority than the funds we have available to spend. And I can commit to you, 100%, we will not spend beyond what we have,' Kosa told the council's Finance and Administrative Services Committee. Cash flow is threatening important summer road projects such as paving on Everson-Goshen Road and a slide removal on Lummi Island, she said. Because of this, Kosa is asking the County Council to authorize interfund loans to finance cash flow for Road Fund, in amounts up to $4 million for a term not to exceed two years. County Council members voted unanimously Tuesday to consider the matter at their next meeting on May 27. Kosa said that the Public Works budget is reeling from increased labor and construction material costs, some unexpected expenses, and a 'pattern of deficit spending has continued for over two decades.' To save money and balance its 2025 budget, Kosa said that Public Works is delaying some projects, continuing to reduce spending, and freezing 14 vacant positions for several years. The Road Fund 'is not nimble enough to absorb unexpected costs,' she said. 'We're recommending that our lowest month of the year contain $10 million balance in available cash flow. Without this we will not be able to float disasters such as a road washout or other emergencies. Any emergency would result in a request to use other county funds or a loss of service. The plan that we have proposed will get us through this year, provided no additional emergencies arise,' Kosa said. Public Works isn't exactly robbing Peter to pay Paul, because such interfund loans must be repaid. Deputy Excutive Kayla Schott-Breseler said the loan could come from any fund, but most likely it would be the General Fund or or real-estate excise taxes. 'The way that the ordinance is set up is that it gives the treasurer flexibility to chose the fund that is most healthy for cash flow purposes,' Schott-Breseler told the council.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pritzker's 2026 budget proposal is $500 million short
CHICAGO (WGN) — With fewer than three weeks to pass a state budget, key lawmakers said Tuesday that cuts from Washington and a slow economy have blown a $500 million hole in Gov. JB Pritzker's proposed budget. The legislature has been working for months from Pritzker's $55.2 billion blueprint that holds the line on new taxes for most Illinoisans, but the hole has lawmakers looking now at cuts to programs and services. To raise revenue, the governor is proposing increased tax rates on table games at casinos, excluding those in Chicago, and a pause in the final transfer of state sales tax revenue on gas purchases to the state Road Fund. The state is also expected to save by eliminating a health care program for noncitizen immigrants under 65. 'Not only because of the federal government concerns but also a slow economy has us all concerned here hoping that we don't have to raise regressive taxes,' State Rep. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) told WGN. Even though money is tight, interest groups and local governments are pushing hard to boost funding. The Regional Transportation Authority is pushing for a bailout, saying that without state help, the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra and Pace would be forced to implement deep service cuts. In a March 'doomsday' report, transit officials said those cuts would deal a 'devastating' blow to the regional economy. Leaders of the Democratic supermajority warn there's not much wiggle room in the budget. 'We've conditioned our members to understand how tight this budget year is going to be,' said Senate President Don Harmon. 'That won't eliminate spending pressures, but I think people understand this is a different year than last year or the year before.' Republicans point out state budgets have grown from $40 billion in Pritzker's first year to $55 billion for fiscal year 2026. Meeting with reporters in Springfield with a podium sign that read, 'It's time to DOGE Illinois,' the GOP lawmakers urged cuts. 'We don't have a money problem, we've got a focus problem. We've got a priorities problem,' said Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Effingham). A spokesperson for the governor said that Ford 'is not a budgeteer,' and Deputy Governor Andy Manar in a statement said Pritzker and his office of management and budget will continue working closely with legislators 'to deliver a balanced budget that keeps Illinois on a stable fiscal path while safeguarding the services families depend on.' Harmon and Illinois House Speaker Emanuel 'Chris' Welch both said they're going to pass the budget with the information that they have now, but will adjust if Washington makes drastic cuts. They might even have to return to work this summer. While Democrats hammer out final budget details, Pritzker was in Washington on Tuesday, fielding questions about his political ambitions. Per his official schedule, the governor has been meeting with CEOs and international trade partners at the SelectUSA Investment Summit in an effort to encourage more businesses to choose Illinois. During an afternoon interview on CNN, Pritzker again claimed he has yet make a decision about a third term, saying in part, 'the question is how can I best participate in the fight, and so whether that's being governor or not, whether that's, potentially, in the future running for president, it's just, to me, about we've got to win in 2026.' Pritzker later told CNN's Kasie Hunt: 'My focus is on lifting up the people of the state of Illinois, advancing the cause of the economy for our state, and making sure that I'm bringing what I have been, I think, for the last six and a half years, which is fiscal stability to a state that really wasn't stable for many years before.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
