Legislation authored by North State Republican Sen. Jim Nielsen was signed into law on June 30 that will allow Colusa and Glenn counties to keep their revenue from the California Highway User Tax Account without having to keep a licensed civil engineer on staff.
Nielsens Senate Bill 79, which passed the senate and assembly with bipartisan support, will bring much-needed financial relief to Colusa and Glenn counties by allowing the Boards of Supervisors to abolish the road commissioner office and transfer authority to their public works directors, officials said.
” This is an important and necessary change for these small rural communities – and often underserved communities,” Nielsen said in a press release on Thursday. ” SB 79 requires that any civil engineering functions that are required to be performed by the road commissioner may be performed by a registered civil engineer acting under the authority of the director of the Department of Public Works.
Nielsen and rural county lobbyists rallied behind such legislation after Colusa County risked losing more than $6 million in revenue generated from the excise taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, sales taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, and vehicle registration taxes, when it was unable to fill the road commissioner office following the resignation of former Public Works Director Scott Lamphier, a civil engineer, who left in 2019 for a position with the City of Livermore.
Colusa County is responsible for the maintenance of 753 miles of roadway and highway overpases. On average, California drivers pay about $750 per year on transportation taxes and fees for the repair of roads, highways, and bridges.
The passage of SB79 will allow current Public Works Director Mike Azevedo, who is not a licensed civil engineer, to contract an engineer only when one is needed.
” SB 79 will ensure that the County of Colusa continues to receive its share of state-generated transportation funding, which the county invests in cost-effective projects to improve the safety and condition of our local roads and bridges,” Colusa County Administrative Officer Wendy Tyler stated in the release. ” SB 79 also allows the county to staff and resource the Department of Public Works in a manner that makes operational and fiscal sense for us. We are grateful to Sen. Nielsen for his efforts on behalf of Colusa County.
SB 79 was first introduced in late 2020 and was amended in March 2021 to include Glenn County, who lost its licensed civil engineer in February when Public Works Director Cole Grube resigned.
” The Glenn County Board of Supervisors would like to thank Sen. Nielsen for including Glenn County in SB 79,” said Chairman Keith Corum, in the release. ” Senator Nielsens bill allows Glenn Countys Public Works Director to act as the Road Commissioner and assures the Board of local representation and control over the county road program. It is legislation such as this that helps our county align local control with the vision of our public and our policymakers.
The measure took effect immediately after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it into law. –