County Postpones Road Oil Lettings Amid Middle East Tensions

Montgomery County County Roads and Bridges Committee | April 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Roads and Bridges Committee delayed its annual Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) oil lettings, citing market volatility caused by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

Roads and Bridges Key Points:

• County Engineer Cody Greenwood postponed the 2026 MFT Oil Letting due to price spikes linked to the Iranian conflict.

• Township MFT oil lettings were also delayed until May.

• The Plains Solar road use agreement is undergoing legal revision after the developer objected to county stipulations.

The Montgomery County Roads and Bridges Committee on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, elected to delay major material purchases for the upcoming road maintenance season, pointing to international instability driving up costs.

County Engineer Cody Greenwood informed the committee that he has officially postponed the 2026 Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) Oil Letting. Greenwood cited the ongoing Iranian conflict, which has continued to negatively impact and artificially inflate the global price of oil.

Using the same rationale, Greenwood also postponed the 2026 Township MFT oil letting. The Highway Department plans to advertise the oil lettings throughout the month of April, with hopes that the global markets will stabilize and prices will drop before the committee receives and reviews the bids at their May meeting.

Greenwood also updated the committee on a pending road use agreement with Plains Solar. The developer for the solar installation—located south of Witt Avenue and east of E. 14th Road—formally objected to specific wording in the county’s proposed agreement. Greenwood reported that he has forwarded the proposed revisions to State’s Attorney Brian Shaw for legal review and anticipates presenting an updated, mutually agreeable contract next month.

Despite the delayed oil purchases, Greenwood confirmed that the summer maintenance season is officially underway, with county crews actively weeding, mowing, ditching, and patching potholes across the jurisdiction. He also noted that the department’s new heavy equipment shed is now being utilized, with a final gas line connection for heating being the only remaining task.