A majority of the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors Thursday said they”d rather borrow the money needed for emergency road repairs, than reallocate funds already approved for the county”s road plan.
County Road Manager Ronnie Burns earlier told the supervisors portions of 18 county roads are “crumbling” and “in really bad shape,” because of recent inclement weather and estimated $2.1 million is needed to repave the bad roads.
The supervisors held a workshop Thursday to discuss the emergency road repairs and ways to fund the work; no action was taken during the workshop.
Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders suggested amending the road plan and reallocating the funds earlier set aside to pave portions of five roads — Cal-Steens, Officer”s Lake, Beersheba, Hughes and Taylor Thurston roads — to pay for repairs on the 18 bad roads.
“I don”t see any other place we can get the money,” Sanders said. “These are hard economic times and we need to tighten our budget.”
“If we”re in such hard times, why are we looking at (improving) parks and recreation?” asked District 2 Supervisor Frank Ferguson. “We need the roads more than we do the parks.”
“The emergency to the roads came after we committed (money to construct a soccer complex in the Burns Bottom area and to renovate the county”s existing neighborhood parks),” Sanders responded.
“We get real innovative when we want to spend money,” noted District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks, suggesting the county borrow the money for the road work. “The taxpayer”s going to have to pay this money. But we get real innovative. Another $2.5 million ain”t going to break the bank.
“A lot of this, the average citizen may not benefit from it,” Brooks added, noting the county has committed about $31 million to projects.
The projects Brooks cited include the purchase and renovation of a building for new county administrative office space, renovation of the Lowndes County Courthouse, the land purchase and construction of a new Health Department facility, $3.25 million for the soccer complex, $850,000 for the neighborhood parks renovation project, and money for construction of a new Justice Court building, as well as more than $8 million for water, sewer and infrastructure work at the Golden Triangle Regional Global Aerospace Industrial Park and more than $11 million for land purchases for the park.
“We don”t have $30 million to do any of this, but we commit to it,” Brooks said. “It”s hard to say we don”t have money. If we”re willing to commit the taxpayers to $31 million, we can commit them to another $2 million to fix the roads. The only thing I keep hearing is we can”t, but we”re going to make this work.”
District 3 Supervisor John Holliman asked how the county plans to care for roads next year and in future years.
“There may have to be some sacrifices made in other places,” Brooks said. “I think it”s about taking the budget and being innovative with it.”
“It seems to me you take care of what needs to be fixed right now, before you pave these roads,” Sanders said, again suggesting the road plan money be diverted for emergency repairs.
“I”ve watched us be very creative when we have to be,” said District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith. “I”m not in favor of setting aside this year”s road plan, because those roads need to be done. We do need to make a decision on funding these (additional) roads. It”s just a matter of the willingness of this board to step up and make some hard decisions.”
County Administrator Ralph Billingsley suggested using the money committed for the neighborhood parks renovations — $850,000 which likely wouldn”t be needed in the current budget year — and delaying the regular road paving until next year”s budget period, which begins in September, but Smith, Brooks and Ferguson opposed delaying the road plan paving.
“Ralph, it”s all critical,” Brooks said of the road repairs and road plan needs. “(The road plan roads) are all critical needs.”
Brooks said the supervisors may need to “raise taxes” to fund the road repairs.
“We”re willing to spend a lot of money for things we hope will happen,” he said, referring to projects for which the county committed funds. “$2 million is not going to break us. We have a lot of flexibility.”
“Why are we going to spend $1 million on roads not in critical shape at the expense of these that are torn up?” Sanders asked, referring to the road plan. “I”m not borrowing any money, not when we”ve got the money already there.”
“There is one thing most citizens have in common,” said Brooks. “They ride on these roads. $30 million is not a little piece of change. $2 million, in the grand scheme of things, is not a lot of money. The one thing people are looking for is (good) roads.
“They”re not interested in whether we have a brand new (administrative building) and a lot of people aren”t going to use the Health Department,” he continued. “A lot of people aren”t going to use the parks, although those things are needed. On economic development, taxes will have to be raised to defray $20 million in costs. If we are willing to raise millage to do this, which is needed, we ought to have the commitment to take care of these people”s roads. Let”s take care of some of these people that may not benefit (from other projects). All they want is decent roads.”
Smith, Ferguson and Brooks agreed the county should borrow $2.1 million for Burns to use to repair the roads, but a vote on the matter was not taken during the workshop.
Burns earlier said portions of the following roads needed to be paved: Dale, Dowdle, Williams, Cobb, Minnie Vaughn, Adams, Halbert, Brewer, Wicks, Fire Tower, Bud Price, Steger, Evans, Allison Hardy, Talley and Shaeffers Chapel roads.
Additionally, he said patching work should be done on William Greer, Sanders Mill and Freeman roads, Military Chapel Circle, Military Chapel, Land, McClemore, Blaylock, Lonesome Dove roads, Omega Drive, Canfield, Hardy Billups, Nick Hairston, Sam Hill roads, Hairston Bend, Gilmer Wilburn Road and Prairie Path.
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