Senate Bill 819 aims to enhance the administration of the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) in Wisconsin by establishing new committees and refining existing processes for funding local road improvements. The bill mandates the creation of a statewide town road improvement committee, composed of 15 members appointed by the Department of Transportation (DOT), with at least 12 being town officials. This committee will set criteria for project selection and recommend projects for funding. Additionally, county-level town road improvement committees will be formed to rank projects for funding requests, while regional committees will oversee project rankings within specific geographic areas. The bill also introduces a series of deadlines for application submissions and project selections to streamline the funding process.

Furthermore, the bill modifies eligibility criteria for improvements under LRIP by eliminating previous limitations on double seal coat projects and clarifying that the DOT cannot make generalized assumptions about the projected design life of projects. It stipulates that any determination of a project's design life must be based on a review by a registered professional engineer or county highway commissioner. The bill also imposes restrictions on counties regarding contracting for town road improvements, including prohibiting counties from preparing estimates for projects in other counties and requiring notifications before commencing improvements. Violations of these provisions could result in a two-year prohibition on counties from performing LRIP projects for towns.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 86.31(1)(b), 86.31, 86.31(2)(b), 86.31(2)(e), 86.31(2)(h)