KENTON COUNTY, Ky. — Kenton County has approved crucial state funding for road repairs, which will be used throughout the upcoming fiscal year.
Every year, counties, incorporated cities, and unincorporated urban areas are allocated road aid funding from the state of Kentucky for the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of county roads and city streets.
On May 27, the Kenton County Fiscal Court approved a resolution authorizing an agreement for $682,921.75 worth of County Road Aid funds doled out by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Department of Rural and Municipal Road Aid.
The funds are used for key infrastructure projects throughout the government’s jurisdiction and cover the necessary materials, labor, and equipment required to complete the project.
The County Road Aid program is financed through Kentucky’s motor fuels tax, with 18.3% of the revenue from these tax receipts allocated to the program. Participation in the program requires a cooperative agreement between the county and the state of Kentucky, which enrolls the local government into a funding arrangement for the entire fiscal year. The fiscal year begins on July 1.
Additionally, the cooperative agreement requires the establishment of an emergency fund. Emergency funds are used for urgent repairs to county roads and bridges resulting from events such as floods, landslides, or structural failures.
Kenton County Public Works Director Spencer Stork informed the fiscal court that the program would allocate approximately 3% of the appropriated funds to establish an emergency fund.
“This is the agreement we participated in the past few years with KYTC to be able to participate in that co-op program,” Stork said. “That way, we’re eligible for the emergency road funding.”
According to the road aid agreement provided by Kenton County, the funding is distributed in three phases. 60% is distributed at the start of the fiscal year, 30% comes mid-year, and the remaining balance is paid after the fiscal year ends, adjusted based on actual fuel tax revenue.
The initial amount of funds distributed during Phase One is $397,460, according to the agreement.
Kenton County is a regular participant in other Department of Rural and Municipal Aid funding initiatives, such as the Rural and Secondary Roads program, which distributes funds for the construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of secondary and rural roads within each county.
In April, Andy Yeager, a transportation engineer supervisor with KYTC, gave a presentation to the fiscal court, highlighting multiple Kenton County roads in need of maintenance.
Yeager suggested that Kenton County use its money from the Rural and Secondary Roads program to either resurface a five-mile stretch of Rich Road, from KY-17 to KY-177, or a 1.2-mile portion of Staffordsburg Road in Independence.
Generally, a Rural and Municipal Aid representative from the KYTC presents recommended projects to a county’s fiscal court. After analyzing each request, the legislative body then approves or denies the recommendations.
This story originally appeared on our partner's website LINK nky.
