Oktibbeha County supervisors voted Monday to split an estimated $387,200 of additional state aid road repair money to fund infrastructure projects within Districts 1 and 3 but not before verbally sparring with each other over the extra cash.
Funding for road improvements, or the lack thereof, remained a sticking point between supervisors this year, as each representative has argued about what to do with the small amount of monies generated locally and received from the state. While District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery and District 5
Supervisor Joe Williams have repeatedly butted heads on the issue in the past few months, District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer made calls to expand the pot through the issuances of improvement bonds.
Working off of information delivered by the county engineer, supervisors estimate they’ll add the almost $400,000 to their existing improvement budget $460,280. Monday’s vote, which was carried by Montgomery, District 3 Supervisor Marvell Howard and District 4 Supervisor Daniel Jackson, allows Montgomery to tend a New Light Road project from about Sykes road into Starkville.
Howard will take the remainder and use it for a project within his own district. He did not identify a potential infrastructure improvement at the board table Monday and did not return a call after the meeting.
The New Light Road project’s asphalting and striping efforts are estimated at about $597,000, Montgomery said, meaning Howard could utilize about $250,000 in his own district.
District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams attempted to block the motion Monday, saying his area is more populated and has more infrastructure than Districts 1 and 3, yet more infrastructure projects and improvements go unfunded.
While Williams did not identify potential projects within his own district, he did say the additional monies should be spread between supervisors or used to target densely populated areas, like his own.
“I don’t have any more (state aid funding),” Williams said. “I don’t have any more (state aid projects) because it’s done.”
“It’s about whose district benefits the most,” Howard countered.
“It makes no difference since we’re in the unit system,” Trainer said.
Since 2012, the county has utilized almost $3 million in state aid funding between its five districts. A report generated by Jackson shows only $204,276 and $278,000 have gone toward infrastructure projects in Districts 1 and 3, respectively, compared to $1.06 million for District 2 and $671,000 for District 5.
“We’re always fighting over a few dollars. We have to expand the pot,” Trainer said, alluding to issuing bonds for road improvement project.
Trainer, the board’s president and longest serving member, has pressed for bond issuances every year of this term. Such an issuance is unlikely as the Montgomery-Jackson-Howard block has stood against the attempt each and every time. Trainer’s bond chances diminish each month as supervisors near 2015’s election.
Additional road improvements are projected for District 2 and 5 as a proposed tax increment financing (TIF) package will fund overlay, striping and other projects for Blackjack Road once two of three anticipated apartment complexes develop and hit the tax rolls.
As for the New Light Road project, Montgomery said residents of the area could see workers begin the job either this winter or when cold temperatures relent in the spring.
“I’m just glad we got to a point we could move forward,” he said. “This is a project that’s so important to the folks that live out there, and it’s been a long time coming.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.