The Madera County Board of Supervisors discussed receiving $8.7 million in road maintenance funds next year at their May 19 meeting. Additionally, they heard concerns regarding Highway 41 and increased fire activity and discussed an animal microchip clinic coming to the mountain area this summer.
The County is projected to receive $8.7 million in road maintenance funds from Senate Bill 1 for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The funds will be used for roadway improvements, bridges and state-mandated purchases of clean-emission vehicles.
According to Public Works Director Dominic Tyburski, the funds will cover four miles if used for road overlays or reconstruction. As far as selecting which road to reconstruct, Tyburski said the Public Works Department will assess roads average daily traffic and how important the route is to local commuters.
Fifth District Supervisor Robert Macaulay expressed frustration about the funding of the project being used for clean-emission vehicles.
“This is really for road maintenance but they’re forcing us to use these dollars to buy their super expensive clean energy vehicles, when all we’re doing is selling [old clean-emission vehicles] to other states for them to use them,” Macaulay said.
During public comment, Coarsegold resident MJ King discussed the conditions of Highway 41 in the foothills compared to the valley. He cited a lack of emergency lanes in the foothills, and urged Macaulay to follow up on these issues.
“The section in the foothills is also in terrible condition and needing work… [it] has virtually no shoulders, emergency lanes… and is known to be one of the most dangerous highways in the country,” King said.
Later in the meeting, CalFire Deputy Chief of Operations Justin McComb gave an update regarding increased fire activity in the County.
“The last couple weeks has picked up a lot in fire activity,” McComb said. “We’ve for the most part withstood the red flag warning however it did put us into a state of draw down at times”
McComb also mentioned that this year CalFire has been granted exclusive helicopter use out of the Mariposa airport, allowing them to get over the County quicker.
Additionally, the County discussed their new “Trans Fur” van, which will be a mobile clinic where residents can receive free microchips for their animals. The mobile van will be available in Oakhurst and North Fork, among other areas in the County.
Additionally, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to oppose Assembly Bill 2494, which shifts the management of California’s 85,000-acre state demonstration forest system to focus on recological restoration and Tribal co-governance, opposed to commercial timber production.
The Board said the bill comes off as a “soft touch approach” to managing the state’s forests. Macaulay, who is a member of the Governor’s task force for wildfire and community resilience, argued the bill contracts the “science-based approach” to forest management being developed by state agencies.
“When I look at this bill, it’s just another example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing,” Macaulay said. “It’s very frustrating to see our legislature working, in theory, in opposition to what our state agencies are developing again around best practices in science.”
Lastly, The Board approved an agreement with the California High-Speed Rail Authority for a reimbursement of $440,000. The reimbursement is intended to cover costs for the Madera County Public Works Department for the next phase of the project.
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Sierra News Online – County approves nearly $1 million North Fork road expansion
