The board may cause any county road to be constructed or improved by use of county forces as provided in this section.
(1) As used in this section: (a) "County forces" means regular employees of a county; and(b) "Road construction project costs" means the aggregate total of those costs as defined by the budgeting, accounting, and reporting system for counties and cities and other local governments authorized under RCW 43.09.200 and 43.09.230 as prescribed in the state auditor's budget, accounting, and reporting manual's (BARS) road and street construction accounts: PROVIDED, That such costs shall not include those costs assigned to the right-of-way account, ancillary operations account, preliminary engineering account, and construction engineering account in the budget, accounting, and reporting manual.(2) For counties with a population that equals or exceeds four hundred thousand people, the total amount of road construction project costs one county may perform annually with county forces shall be no more than the total of the following amounts: (a) Three million two hundred fifty thousand dollars; and(b) The previous year's county motor vehicle fuel tax distribution factor, as provided for in RCW 46.68.124(5), multiplied by the amount listed in (a) of this subsection.(3) For counties with a population that equals or exceeds one hundred fifty thousand, but is less than four hundred thousand people, the total amount of road construction project costs one county may perform annually with county forces shall be no more than the total of the following amounts: (a) One million seven hundred fifty thousand dollars; and(b) The previous year's county motor vehicle fuel tax distribution factor, as provided for in RCW 46.68.124(5), multiplied by the amount listed in (a) of this subsection.(4) For counties with a population that equals or exceeds thirty thousand, but is less than one hundred fifty thousand people, the total amount of road construction project costs one county may perform annually with county forces shall be no more than the total of the following amounts: (a) One million one hundred fifty thousand dollars; this amount shall increase to one million two hundred fifty thousand dollars effective January 1, 2012; and(b) The previous year's county motor vehicle fuel tax distribution factor, as provided for in RCW 46.68.124(5), multiplied by the amount listed in (a) of this subsection.(5) For counties with a population that is less than thirty thousand people, the total amount of road construction project costs one county may perform annually with county forces shall be no more than the total of the following amounts:(a) Seven hundred thousand dollars; this amount shall increase to eight hundred thousand dollars effective January 1, 2012; and(b) The previous year's county motor vehicle fuel tax distribution factor, as provided for in RCW 46.68.124(5), multiplied by the amount listed in (a) of this subsection.(6) Any county whose expenditure for county forces for road construction projects exceeds the limits specified in this section, is in violation of the county road administration board's standards of good practice under RCW 36.78.020 and is in violation of this section.(7) Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, whenever the construction work or improvement is the installation of electrical traffic control devices, highway illumination equipment, electrical equipment, wires, or equipment to convey electrical current, in an amount exceeding forty thousand dollars for any one project including labor, equipment, and materials, such work shall be performed by contract as in this chapter provided. This section means a complete project and does not permit the construction of any project by county forces by division of the project into units of work or classes of work.Amended by 2019 c 310,§ 1, eff. 7/28/2019. 2009 c 29 § 1; 2005 c 162 § 1; 2001 c 108 § 1; 1980 c 40 § 1.Effective date-1980 c 40: "This act shall take effect on January 1, 1981." [ 1980 c 40 s 3.]