The Ripon City Council has selected DSS Company, operating as Knife River Construction, to lead the next phase of the city’s Ripona Resurface Project. The decision came swiftly at the council’s May 13 meeting, where Knife River’s bid of $1,521,980— the lowest among six competing contractors—secured the contract.

Funding for this portion of the project, known as Project Area No. 2, will draw from multiple city resources. The Streets & Roads Fund is set to contribute $1.2 million, with an additional $264,440 coming from the Streets & Roads Reconstruction Fund.

City Administrator Kevin Werner, in a staff report, explained that Ripon’s street maintenance relies heavily on dedicated state and federal funds. These revenues help cover a wide range of needs, from crack patching and striping to resurfacing, reconstruction, and landscape upkeep.

Despite these resources, Ripon, like many California cities, continues to battle chronic funding shortfalls for road maintenance. Prior to California’s Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, gas tax rates had remained unchanged since the mid-1990s and were not adjusted for rising construction costs. This left cities scrambling to stretch limited funds, often focusing on preventive measures rather than full-scale reconstruction.

In response, city leaders adopted new funding policies in recent years. In 2015, the council created the Street & Road Reserve Fund, allowing a portion of any General Fund surplus to be redirected toward failing roads. A 2021 policy now also transfers half of any Street & Road fund annual surplus to the Streets & Roads Reconstruction Fund. Werner clarified that this surplus represents whatever is left over after subtracting city maintenance expenses—like pothole repairs and sign replacement—from annual state and local revenues.

The newly approved phase of the Ripona Resurface Project will target Area No. 2, providing chip and slurry seal resurfacing for eight miles of roadway and reconstructing 400 feet of streets most in need of repair.