PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners have certified the 2019 road levy, an annual action required by state law.
Commissioners voted 2-0 Tuesday — with Randy Johnson excused — to certify the levy and the estimated $7.44 million in revenue it will produce.
Traffic enforcement will account for $800,000 of road fund expenditures, according to a document tied to the certification.
The levy rate for the Clallam County road fund is $1.25 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.
State law requires county lawmakers to certify their road levies showing the amount budgeted for traffic enforcement and other purposes by Feb. 1.
“This is an annual thing that the County Road Administration Board requires the counties to do,” County Engineer Ross Tyler told commissioners Mark Ozias and Bill Peach on Tuesday.
“It’s so that they can dispense the gas taxes appropriately for the population.
“We’re basically identifying to the state what our levy rate is and how much we’re due back in gas taxes and stuff like that,” Tyler said.
Peach said other counties borrow from their road fund to meet their general fund obligations.
Tyler said Clallam County contributes — but does not divert — road fund money to traffic enforcement.
“If we do a diversion, then the County Road Administration Board applies other rules to us,” Tyler said.
“If we contribute X amount of dollars from the road fund into the sheriff’s department for the purpose specifically identified by the County Road Administration Board as suitable for traffic policing, then we don’t get the sanctions that we would get if we diverted the funds before they came in.”
Peach credited Tyler for managing large amounts of money and projects, helping the county remain “fiscally responsible.”
“Well it’s certainly, absolutely, a team effort with the Board of County Commissioners and the road fund working together,” Tyler said.
“It really helps everybody. It helps Clallam County taxpayers significantly.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
