Road Department Funding

The Tillamook County Public Works Department funding is separate from the general county fund.  The Public Works Department funding is broken up into two budgets; one for the Solid Waste Department and one for the Road Department. 

The General Obligation Bond

The GO Bond was passed in May 2013 bringing a total of $15,000,000  (less bond costs) to the County Road budget.  This funding will be primarily spent for paving, grant match projects, bridge and culvert maintenance projects.  This is a 10-year bond.

Federal Forest Revenue

In the past, the Federal Forest Revenue money made up over 50% of the Road Department budget, currently it is at 7%

Tillamook  County Transient Lodging Tax

The County Road Department receives 30% (less administration cost) of the TLT revenue collected.

Motor Vehicle Fees

The Road Department receives a percentage of vehicle registration fees for all vehicles registered within Tillamook County.  It also receives a portion of the taxes that are collected from gasoline sales.  As the economy slows and people travel less, the Road Department budget suffers from the lack of sales which in turn hurts the department's ability to maintain the roads.

Surface Transportation Program Funding

This funding is through the agreement between the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Association of Oregon Counties.  Each county is allotted a certain amount of money which it can apply to qualifying projects.  In the past, the Road Department has used this money to fund paving projects.

Federal Highway (FHWA) & Federal Emergency Management Aid (FEMA) Reimbursements

Tillamook County is hit nearly every year with one or more major storms.  These storms can include one or more of the following:  flooding, hurricane force winds, snow, landslides, and road washouts. When the storm damage is severe, the damage can qualify for FHWA and FEMA reimbursement monies.   The County Road match for eligible FHWA projects is 10.27% and for eligible FEMA projects is 25%.  The County is currently working on three FEMA projects (Old Wheeler Mohler slide, Road Stabilization on Hadley Road and East Creek Road) and three FHWA projects (two bridges on the Miami Foley Road and one bridge on Bayocean Road).  These resulted from the 2015 federally declared storm.

Grants

Although grants do not make up a large portion of the Road Department budget, it is able to fund a small portion of some of its programs through various available grants.   Some examples of successful grants include:  3rd Street, Tillamook Enhancement Project, Cape Meares Loop Slide Project (this road closed in 2013), and Galloway Road Chip Seal Project.

Partnerships

The Road Department has been very successful in partnering with other agencies.  Some of the agencies include:  Oregon Department of Transportation, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife (culverts for fish passage), Tillamook Estuary Partnership, and other Tillamook County Departments (Community Development, Parks, Surveyor's Office, Assessment and Taxation, and Clerk's Office).  Tillamook County has successfully worked with the Salmon SuperHwy and the Watershed Councils to replace fish- inhibiting culverts with bridges.

2022-2023 Proposed Budget

The Road Department presented its proposed 2022-2023 budget to the Budget Committee on April 13, 2022.  The presentation slides can be viewed here: 2022-2023 Budget Presentation.