District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer will pitch a millage increase in the next two months for countywide road paving and reclamation projects.
Following a budget work session with fellow supervisors Wednesday, Trainer said the county’s finances are improving, but not to a point where its road department can catch up with a backlog of pressing infrastructure needs.
The road department needs an influx of cash now to handle various projects, he said, and the smaller, incremental steps that the increasing value of a mill provides won’t generate enough additional funds to make a significant dent in the repair list.
Trainer proposes increasing taxes — he did not specify by how many mills — to service debt relief on a 10-15-year, “maybe $4-$5 million” bond package that would allow the county to pave many of its gravel roads and improve others.
Trainer said he will present information on such a bond package to his fellow board members this month or in September, before the county adopts its upcoming Fiscal Year 2016-17 budget.
“If you ride around the county, you’ll see the need. The only way to address it is with more money,” he said. “Everyone’s on me about this issue — white, black, rich and poor — because it affects everyone. If you just add 1 mill to the road budget, that’s splitting about $345,000 five ways, and that gets depleted fast. We need to leverage a bond now to address the real needs and concerns of the people.”
District 4 Supervisor Bricklee Miller confirmed supervisors discussed a small millage increase Wednesday, but nothing is set in stone as the county enters budget season.
“I’m still listening and learning,” she said.
Supervisors can increase taxes to service debt, but a road bond could be forced to the ballot box if a number of residents challenge the board’s issuance.
Trainer acknowledged the numerous hurdles a road bond would face, both at the county board table and in a referendum.
“Ten years ago, we had a project to do 75 miles for about $6 million. The board never moved on it because we were afraid to raise taxes. Since then, you’ve had hospital bonds, school bonds and the city has done its own projects,” he said. “I’m not afraid to give people the opportunity to decide this. At the rate we’re going, we’re going to be doing the citizens a disservice because the cost of business continues to grow more expensive.”
Throughout the year, many board conversations about road projects and money have led to squabbling amongst supervisors. On Monday, District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery and District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams argued over Williams’ request for an additional $200,000 to help fund a state aid road project in his territory.
Montgomery challenged Williams because the District 5 supervisor at first suggested the county “get creative” to figure out how to fund the project.
“How can I approve something without the funding?” Montgomery asked Williams, who eventually conceded to allocate $100,000 of his own district’s road funding toward the project.
Before voting on the move, Williams chastised fellow board members for allowing District 2’s and District 5’s roads “to be neglected.”
In September, supervisors approved a FY 2015-16 budget that allocated 12.38 mills toward countywide road and bridge projects. The county’s FY 2014-15 budget set aside 12.22 mills, or about $4 million, for the same line item.
Supervisors are not expected to approve the upcoming fiscal year’s budget until next month and will hold public hearings on the financial document.
All bond issuance processes involve public hearings and a period of time where residents may gather signatures in opposition.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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