JUNE 25, 2025 |

Photo – A Carbon County maintained road – Bigfoot99 file photo

Due to pending property tax cuts and the resulting loss of revenue, Carbon County officials have been forced to scale back road maintenance. With federal funding now exhausted, it is unclear if any additional roads will receive dust suppression treatment this year.

During the June 17th Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Road and Bridge Superintendent Kandis Fritz announced the end of the fiscal year 2024 dust suppression project. Funded by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality, or CMAQ, grant, Dustbusters Enterprises Incorporated of Evanston was chosen to apply magnesium chloride to the county’s dirt roads.

Fritz asked the Board to approve the final acceptance certificate and pay Dustbusters Enterprises $266,600 from the CMAQ fund.

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Magnesium chloride, or mag chloride as it is often called, is a natural salt used to control dust and melt ice. When sprayed on dirt or gravel roads, the chemical binds small particles together and draws moisture from the air, helping the surface stay damp, firm, and safer to drive on.

Road and Bridge Superintendent Fritz said roads treated with mag chloride are holding up well, while those left untreated are quickly showing signs of wear.

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With the completion of the mag chloride application project, the county has used up its Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality grant money. Recently passed property tax relief programs have seriously impacted the county budget, making it uncertain if additional roads will get treated this year.

Earlier this month, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners estimated that recently enacted state property tax relief measures will reduce the county’s budget by at least $500,000 this coming fiscal year, which begins on July 1st. Speaking at the February 4th Board meeting, Commissioner John Johnson said the county will have trouble finding the money to pay for road maintenance, specifically magnesium chloride.

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The Board of Commissioners met to finalize the fiscal year 2025 through 2026 budget after last week’s meeting. It is unclear at this time if the county was able to allocate funding for additional magnesium chloride application.

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