County governments are typically the last ones in line for formula funding flowing from fuel taxes through the states, who keep most of it.
"We don't have direct interface with the federal agencies. We wish we did," said Phillip Church, County Administrator for Oswego County New York.
"That's something we need more of, because when this money goes through the states, the states get 80% to 90% of it, and we're left with being allocated 10% to 20% even though the national average is counties take care of 44% of the roads.
The comments came during a panel discussion hosted by the National Association of Counties in Washington D.C. Wednesday.
A report by the Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank, estimates that counties account for $757 billion in debt if Washington D.C., and the combined city/counties of Denver, San Francisco, Miami-Dade, and Honolulu are included.
Servicing the debt, which is typically issued as bonds, is pinned on the surface transportation bill tasked with refueling an insolvent Highway Trust Fund.
"There will be a lot of challenges of how they fund that with decline of gas tax revenue and the transformation of the traditional highway fund model," said Matthew Chase, executive director of NACo.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has already
Many counties point to funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act as providing the biggest bang for the buck by sending $65.1 billion directly to the county level.
"When ARPA funding came down, counties used that money and put it to good work because we're closest to the people," said Steve Hobbs, executive director of the Missouri Association of Counties.
"We know what the needs are, and we are the most efficient form of government out there."
Hobbs concedes that county governments do team up with the state department of transportation in Missouri, but that type of cooperation isn't universal.
"Funding counties based on what they say is their immediate needs, and getting that feedback directly from counties, rather than filtering it through the state political system would be a far better use and much more efficient use of federal dollars," said Church.
Counties scrambling for money to keep the roads repaired are also making forays into nonconventional revenue streams.
"We did plan on raising gas taxes so we would get a little more money for roads that way, but we also planned on taxing marijuana," said Antoinette Wallace, a Commissioner with Macomb County, Michigan.
"There's a big stop to that because, of course, the marijuana companies were against it, so we are going back and forth in court for that now, so that money is absolutely on hold."
The Trump administration has gone out of its way to squelch any Department of Transportation grants related to green initiatives or required to adhere to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion standards.
Counties competing for grants rely on finding talent who are up to the task.
"We do have a really great grant writer," said Wallace.
"We try to find ones (grants) that will allow the county to work with cities, so we can help the cities in the rural areas fix their roads."
Public transportation at the county level presents its own set of challenges.
"For decades, our public transportation was in shambles," said Church.
"We solved it by identifying a rock star in one of the transportation vendors we had, canceling all the contracts and hiring her as a county employee."
"By increasing the number of riders, she's increasing the revenue to the department so that it makes money now beyond what she spends."
