Bluff council hears roads update as staff plans budget changes to capture county matching funds

Mayor Ewing opened the meeting’s agenda items by asking Public Works lead Michael to brief council on recent road work and how it ties into an upcoming budget amendment. Michael said engineers accepted repairs at the retainage pond and at 7th Street West, where curb-and-gutter work was moved to protect a nearby business and to prevent street runoff from undermining the roadway. “The engineers have accepted that work,” Michael said.

Michael detailed several other local repairs, including work on 2nd Street East/Black Locust with an original project cost of about $40,000 and an additional $3,900 to regrade a manhole. He reported a contractor revision for a set of East Bluff repairs reduced from about $20,000 to $11,002.75; with the San Juan County Transportation Board match, Michael said Bluff’s net share on that scope would be roughly $5,137.50.

Council and staff discussed how to structure the town’s budget amendment to maximize external matching dollars. Erin and Aaron identified capital projects (including prior Calf Canyon work and a $10,000 planning allocation) that could be reallocated so town funds qualify for matching. Staff said the town has submitted a matching payment request for approximately $86,000 and that to capture the remaining county match (roughly $20,000) the town would need to spend an additional ~$40,000 on qualifying road work.

Members also discussed surfacing options for the repaired streets. Michael recommended recycled asphalt because it allows roads to be classified as paved and can increase future funding eligibility. He and other council members criticized previous chip‑seal work by a contractor (referred to as Pave Right) as poor quality and described plans to scrape or reprocess the existing surface where necessary.

No formal budget amendment vote was taken; council directed staff to include the additional road spending in the draft amendment so Bluff can pursue the county match and other grant opportunities. The council indicated support for moving forward with proposals that allow the town to spend now and secure matching funds later.