Auglaize County Engineer Andrew Baumer Discusses Funding, Winter Response, Road Work on Spectrum

Auglaize County Engineer Andrew Baumer says fuel taxes and license plate fees remain critical to maintaining the county’s roads and bridges, even as inflation continues to cut into the office’s buying power.

Speaking on Spectrum, Baumer said the Auglaize County Engineer’s Office operates on a budget of about $7.4 million, with roughly $3.9 million of that coming from the state gas tax. He said more than half of the office’s annual spending goes directly toward road and bridge projects, with the rest covering equipment, repairs, fuel, salaries, benefits, and building maintenance.

Baumer said Auglaize County is responsible for maintaining about 350 miles of roads and 350 bridges. He noted the office tries to stretch its budget by using county crews to handle as much work in house as possible.

He also explained how gas tax and vehicle registration fees are distributed. Baumer said gas tax revenue is split evenly among Ohio’s 88 counties, while permissive license plate fees stay in the county where they are collected. That helps explain why more populated counties operate with much larger budgets.

Baumer said a 2019 gas tax increase gave local agencies a needed boost, but much of that gain has already been eaten up by COVID-era inflation and rising construction costs.

On winter operations, Baumer said the 2025 to 2026 season felt long, but was actually close to average. He said county snow crews responded to 34 winter weather events and used about 1,300 tons of salt, numbers that closely match long term averages. During the late January storm, he said crews logged more than 800 man hours, drove 13,000 miles in snow plow trucks, and used 4,800 gallons of diesel fuel while dealing with heavy snow and blowing winds.

Baumer said the county engineer’s office also manages salt inventory for 22 agencies across Auglaize County, including townships, villages, cities, the hospital, and some schools.

Looking ahead, Baumer said one of the county’s biggest upcoming projects is the Hamilton Street Bridge over the river in Wapakoneta. He called it the worst bridge in the county’s current inventory and said the project is now in the design and engineering phase, with construction expected in 2028 after federal grant funding was secured.

For roads, Baumer said the county’s goal is to improve about 10 percent of road surfaces each year. This year’s resurfacing plan includes eight miles of roadway at a cost of about $1.3 million.

Baumer also highlighted the county’s roadside litter program. He said 10 groups picked up 608 bags of trash in 2025 as part of service and fundraising projects, covering 310 of the county’s 350 miles of roadway. He said the county is still looking for more groups to help.

Baumer reminded drivers to slow down, stay alert, and put their phones down as road crews and litter cleanup groups head into another busy spring season.