The Bear Valley Special Road District, under the auspices of the Lincoln County Board of Commissioners, oversees the maintenance of the road system in our community, which is comprised of North Deer Drive and North Alder Court. Revenue for the district is derived from a property tax levied on assessed value each year, with a maximum allowable rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. Property owners pay this assessment at the same time they pay their annual property taxes to the county. Each nickel of assessed levy costs the owner of a $100,000 (assessed value) property $5.00 a year or about 42 cents per month, and results in approximately $275 in overall revenue for the road district for the year.
The District creates a budget for each fiscal year running from July 1 through June 30. Final Budget Resolution is due to County in June. There are some administrative costs including office supplies, filing fees, Government Ethics Commission fees, and a bond expense. The bulk of the revenue (approximately $8,200 on a $1.50 per thousand levy) goes toward road and ditch maintenance, vegetation control and dust control.
Dust control is done by applying Lignin Sulfonate to the road surface in early summer after the rains have stopped. This is an organic material from pulp mills. You can read more about it here: Lignin Sulfonate