(1) At its last regular meeting before the beginning of each biennium, the county road administration board will select projects and allocate anticipated RATA funds to projects in each region. The preliminary priority arrays as developed in WAC 136-161-060 will be updated to exclude any county which is ineligible under chapter 136-150 WAC, and projects will be selected from these arrays. Selections will be made in each region in declining priority rank order, provided that:

(a) No county shall be allocated RATA funds in excess of its regional county limit as specified in WAC 136-161-080; and

(b) Any projects which were partially funded in the prior biennium shall, unless otherwise requested by the county, be fully funded before new projects are selected. Ties in total rating points will be broken by the county road administration board in favor of the county having the lesser total amount of previously allocated RATA funds.

(2) The statewide net amount of RATA funds available for allocation to projects in the funding period will be based on the most recent state fuel tax revenue forecast prepared quarterly by the department of transportation, less estimated administrative costs, and less any amounts set aside for emergent projects as described in WAC 136-163-020. The total amount of RATA funds available for allocation to projects in a region (i.e., "forecasted regional apportionment amount") will be based on the regional apportionment percentages of the statewide net amount as determined in chapter 136-100 WAC.

(3) Project program periods and the corresponding funding periods shall both begin on July 1st of odd numbered years and end on June 30th of odd numbered years, unless modified by resolution of the board.

(4) The RATA amounts allocated to projects in the first year of the biennium are limited to no more than ninety percent of the net amount estimated to be allocable to each region for the project program period, with the remaining percentage allocated at such time as deemed appropriate by the county road administration board.

(5) Acceptance of the RATA allocation for a project by the full execution of a CRAB/county contract as described in chapter 136-170 WAC constitutes agreement to complete the project in compliance with the scope, design and project limits in the final prospectus. All material changes to the scope, design or project limits must be approved by the county road administration board prior to commencement of construction.