HB492 Alabama 2020 Session

Updated Feb 26, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Brett EasterbrookRepresentative
Republican
Session: Regular Session 2020
Title: Washington Co., co. commission, county roads and bridges, construction and maintenance under two co. depts., one dept. for unpaved roads, one dept. for paved roads and bridges, Act 2011-605, 2011 Reg. Sess., am'd.
Summary: HB492 restructures Washington County's road management by creating two divisions and two funds for unpaved and paved roads, with a voter referendum and a phased start date.
What This Bill Does
The bill establishes a separate Washington County Road Department for unpaved roads and a Washington County Road, Bridge, and Engineering Department for paved roads and bridges, effective October 1, 2021. It divides road-related funding into two distinct funds with specific sources and spending rules. It also updates the duties of the county engineer and changes budgeting and shop-location rules to fit the new structure. A countywide referendum is required to approve the changes before they take effect.

Who It Affects
Residents and road users in Washington County, as road maintenance priorities and funding will be split between unpaved and paved roads and bridges, potentially changing which projects are funded first.
Washington County government and staff (County Commission, County Engineer, and department employees), who will manage the new two-division structure, allocate funds, oversee budgeting, and implement the changes.

Key Provisions
Creates two divisions of the county government for roads: an Unpaved Road Department to handle unpaved roads (and related rights-of-way and culverts) and a County Roads, Bridge, and Engineering Department to handle paved roads, rights-of-way, and bridges, with the latter under the county engineer.
Funds are split into two separate county funds: the Unpaved Road Fund and the County Road and Bridge Fund, each with its own funding sources and spending rules.
Unpaved Road Fund sources include one-half of the county's share of state motor fuel taxes levied prior to 2019 and one-half of county ad valorem taxes for county roads; 45% of funds go to equal district distribution and 55% based on total unpaved road miles by district.
County Road and Bridge Fund sources include one-half of the county's share of state motor fuels tax prior to 2019, one-half of county ad valorem taxes for county roads, all state motor fuels tax after 2018 distributed to the county, all local county motor fuel taxes, and all county sales and use taxes earmarked for county roads.
The county engineer duties are expanded to oversee paved roads and bridges, supervise staff, perform engineering and surveying tasks, manage maps and records, and control expenditures for paved road projects within set budget limits.
A referendum is required in Washington County to approve the act; if the majority votes Yes, the act becomes operative; if No, it is repealed.
Operational effective date is October 1, 2021, with up to two shop locations for the county road system, and budgeting and annual work plans to be set by the county commission.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Washington County