County Aid to Bridge Fund to Cover Half of Nokomis, Walshville Culverts

Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee Meeting | July 8, 2026

Article Summary: The Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, voted to recommend two resolutions appropriating money from the County Aid to Bridge Fund: $60,000 to replace a double-pipe culvert on Capps Avenue in Nokomis Township, and $18,000 to replace a pipe culvert on North 1st Avenue in Walshville Township. Under both, the local road district pays half.

County Aid to Bridge Resolutions Key Points:

• Resolution 2026-08 covers MCHD Project 1284 on Capps Avenue just outside the City of Nokomis: Nokomis Road District $30,000, Montgomery County $30,000, total $60,000.
• Resolution 2026-09 covers MCHD Project 1285 on North 1st Avenue in Walshville Township: Walshville Road District $9,000, Montgomery County $9,000, total $18,000.
• Both motions were made by Evan Young — seconded by Rob Corso on the Nokomis resolution and by Dr. Patty Whitworth on the Walshville resolution — and both carried with all in favor.
• The motion recorded for the Walshville resolution names Irving Township; the resolution, the location map and the agenda item all name Walshville Township.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Two culverts in two townships came before the Montgomery County Board Roads & Bridges Committee on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, and in both cases the county proposes to pay exactly half.

The committee voted to recommend Resolution 2026-08, appropriating County Aid to Bridge funds for a $60,000 pipe culvert replacement in Nokomis Township, on a motion by Young seconded by Corso. All in favor. It then voted to recommend Resolution 2026-09, appropriating County Aid to Bridge funds for an $18,000 pipe culvert replacement, on a motion by Young seconded by Whitworth. All in favor.

How the Fund Works

Both resolutions run through the same machinery, and both spell it out in identical language.

Under 605 ILCS 5/5-602, a county with fewer than 1,000,000 inhabitants may levy an additional annual tax for the purpose of administering four sections of the state’s highway code. The money from that tax goes into a separate fund commonly known as the County Aid to Bridge Fund — Fund 235 in Montgomery County’s books.

A road district petitions the County Board for aid in constructing or repairing a bridge, culvert or drainage structure under 605 ILCS 5/5-501, with the petition on file at the county highway department. The road district agrees to pay one-half of the total construction cost. The resolution grants the prayer of the road district, and the county’s share comes out of the fund.

Road districts are units of local government distinct from the townships they sit in, a distinction the county’s own records have had occasion to make before.

Nokomis Township: Two 96-Inch Pipes

Resolution 2026-08 covers MCHD Project 1284, on Capps Avenue. The committee reviewed the resolution and map for a 50/50 double-pipe culvert replacement on Capps Avenue just outside the City of Nokomis in Nokomis Township.

The resolution’s cost table splits the work evenly: Nokomis Road District, 50 percent, $30,000; Montgomery County, 50 percent, $30,000; total, 100 percent, $60,000.

The location map in the handouts pins the site southeast of Nokomis and specifies what would go in the ground: two proposed 96-inch diameter by 62-foot polycoated pipe culverts.

Walshville Township: One 48-Inch Pipe

Resolution 2026-09 covers MCHD Project 1285, on North 1st Avenue. The committee reviewed the resolution and map for a 50/50 pipe culvert replacement on North 1st Avenue in Walshville Township.

Its table splits the same way at a smaller scale: Walshville Road District, 50 percent, $9,000; Montgomery County, 50 percent, $9,000; total, 100 percent, $18,000.

The map specifies one proposed 48-inch diameter by 60-foot polycoated pipe culvert, at a location in the western part of the township.

A Township Named in the Motion That Is Not in the Resolution

The motion recorded for Resolution 2026-09 does not say Walshville. As written in the minutes, the committee moved to recommend the resolution appropriating County Aid to Bridge funds for an $18,000 50/50 pipe culvert replacement in Irving Township.

Every other reference in the record says otherwise. The agenda item is titled for North 1st Avenue, Walshville Township. The resolution names the Walshville Road District as the petitioning body and the 50 percent cost-share partner. The location map is headed for Walshville Township. Irving Township appears nowhere else in connection with Project 1285.

This newspaper has reported the project as the resolution and map describe it. The discrepancy in the motion’s recorded language is noted here because the motion is the act the committee took, and because a resolution’s township is not a detail — it determines which road district owes $9,000.

Not Yet Adopted

Both resolutions arrive pre-written for a meeting that had not happened. Each closes with the line “Approved and adopted by the Montgomery County Board this 14th day of July, 2026,” above a blank signature line for County Clerk Sandy Leitheiser and a seal. The full board meets the second Tuesday of the month.

The committee’s votes are recommendations. Neither resolution is adopted, neither road district’s obligation attaches, and no money leaves Fund 235 until the full board acts.