The board may cause any county road to be constructed or improved by day labor as provided in this section.

     (1) As used in this section, "county road construction budget" means the aggregate total of those costs as defined by the budgeting, accounting, and reporting system for counties and cities and other local governments authorized under RCW 43.09.200 and 43.09.230 as prescribed in the state auditor's budget, accounting, and reporting manual's (BARS) road and street construction accounts: PROVIDED, That such costs shall not include those costs assigned to the right-of-way account, ancillary operations account, and that portion of the engineering account that is preliminary engineering in the budget, accounting, and reporting manual.

     (2) For counties with a population that equals or exceeds fifty thousand people, the total amount of day labor construction programs one county may perform annually shall total no more than the amounts determined in the following manner:

     (a) Any county with a total annual county road construction budget of four million dollars or more may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to no more than eight hundred thousand dollars or fifteen percent of the county's total annual county road construction budget, whichever is greater.

     (b) Any county with a total annual county road construction budget of one million five hundred thousand dollars or more and less than four million dollars may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to not more than five hundred twenty-five thousand dollars or twenty percent of the county's total annual county road construction budget, whichever is greater.

     (c) Any county with a total annual county road construction budget of five hundred thousand dollars or more and less than one million five hundred thousand dollars may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to two hundred fifty thousand dollars or thirty-five percent of the county's total annual county road construction budget, whichever is greater.

     (d) Any county with a total annual county road construction budget less than five hundred thousand dollars may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to two hundred fifty thousand dollars: PROVIDED, That any county with a total annual road construction budget of less than five hundred thousand dollars may, by resolution of the board at the time the county road construction budget is adopted, elect to construct or improve county roads by day labor in an amount not to exceed thirty-five thousand dollars on any one project, including labor, equipment, and materials; such election to be in lieu of the two hundred fifty thousand dollar limit provided for in this section, except that any project means a complete project and the division of any project into units of work or classes of work so as to permit construction by day labor is not authorized.

     (3) For counties with a population of less than fifty thousand people, the total amount of day labor construction programs one county may perform annually may total no more than the amounts determined in the following manner:

     (a) A county with a total annual county road construction budget of four million dollars or more may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to not more than eight hundred eighty thousand dollars or twenty-five percent of the county's total annual county road construction budget, whichever is greater;

     (b) A county with a total annual county road construction budget of one million five hundred thousand dollars or more and less than four million dollars may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to not more than five hundred seventy-seven thousand dollars or thirty percent of the county's total annual county road construction budget, whichever is greater;

     (c) A county with a total annual county road construction budget of five hundred thousand dollars or more and less than one million five hundred thousand dollars may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to two hundred seventy-five thousand dollars or forty-five percent of the county's total annual county road construction budget, whichever is greater;

     (d) A county with a total annual county road construction budget less than five hundred thousand dollars may accumulate a day labor road construction budget equal to two hundred seventy-five thousand dollars. However, such a county may, by resolution of the board at the time the county road construction budget is adopted, elect instead to construct or improve county roads by day labor in an amount not to exceed thirty-eight thousand five hundred dollars on any one project, including labor, equipment, and materials. That election is in lieu of the two hundred seventy-five thousand dollar limit provided for in this section. As used in this section, "any project" means a complete project, and a county may not divide a project into units of work or classes of work so as to permit construction by day labor.

     (4) Any county that adopts a county road construction budget unreasonably exceeding that county's actual road construction expenditures for the same budget year which has the effect of permitting the county to exceed the day labor amounts established in this section is in violation of the county road administration board's standards of good practice under RCW 36.78.020 and is in violation of this section. Any county, whose expenditure for day labor for road construction projects unreasonably exceeds the limits specified in this section, is in violation of the county road administration board's standards of good practice under RCW 36.78.020 and is in violation of this section.

     (5) Notwithstanding any other provision in this section, whenever the construction work or improvement is the installation of electrical traffic control devices, highway illumination equipment, electrical equipment, wires, or equipment to convey electrical current, in an amount exceeding ten thousand dollars for any one project including labor, equipment, and materials, such work shall be performed by contract as in this chapter provided. This section means a complete project and does not permit the construction of any project by day labor by division of the project into units of work or classes of work.

[2005 c 162 § 1; 2001 c 108 § 1; 1980 c 40 § 1.]

NOTES:

     Effective date -- 1980 c 40: "This act shall take effect on January 1, 1981." [1980 c 40 § 3.]