Funding of $500,000 was allocated to the district's rural roads at the first Waitaki District Council meeting of the new term yesterday.
While $150,000 for ''traction sealing'' at Corriedale ward intersections was identified during the annual plan process - if funding was available - another $350,000 was approved in what was a last-minute addition to the agenda.
Mr Kircher sought and received approval for spending to address ''urgent issues on Waitaki's rural roads'' at the end of the meeting.
''We all know the importance of rural roads to our economy,'' Mr Kircher said.
''There are potentially some issues out there that have just been a real ongoing problem, but because of low road usage, or whatever, it may not attract [New Zealand Transport Agency] funding - but it's something we need to get on to.''
Mr Kircher's re-election campaign highlighted rural roads as a priority for the council. But yesterday's funding would only fix ''some problems ... of particular concern'' and approving the funding would be a sign the council was ''backing the rural sector''.
The funding for both projects was to come from either Whitestone Contracting Ltd's $700,000 dividend to the council, or the council's $400,000 ''usable'' portion of the $1.3million surplus identified in its 2015-16 annual report, adopted yesterday.
Council assets manager Neil Jorgensen said the roading team would develop a ''prioritisation-type methodology'' for councillors to approve, which would then form the basis of a works programme.
Mr Jorgensen said the council could now address projects beyond the work done with the roughly $10million a year the council spends on its roads, noting ''the existing funding ... there's not a lot of choice in that''.
The $150,000 for the rural intersection traction sealing programme was raised by Cr Guy Percival last term and he went with the roading team to identify 11 Corriedale intersections where the work was required.
Mr Jorgensen said while not all the work would qualify for an NZTA subsidy, the council believed there was a ''very good chance'' of additional funding for the work - and if those funds became available, work on eight sites in the Waihemo and Ahuriri wards could be included in the traction sealing programme.
Mr Kircher said he hoped the council was able to attract NZTA funding and yesterday's $500,000 funding could equate to $800,000 to $1million worth of work on district roads.
