We have had several comments on the road conditions in the county and continue to have people vote in our poll found below. Although, some folks have expressed other ideas for solutions suggesting changing the budget allocation and so on, we realize that the budget process and the money raised for road construction is a very complex process. We continue to monitor the poll results which so far overwhelmingly have favored the choices of “hiring more qualified help” and “sharing resources between precincts” garnering 80%. Although we realize that these choices sound easy, the implementation of these ideas could take time and prove to be difficult. We agree though that the condition of the county roads are a serious concern for all residents and we encourage a positive discussion towards a solution.
County roads and the repair or disrepair of them has long been a point of contention for most counties and their commissioners. As we reported in an earlier story this week, some residents of Precinct 2 attended the commissioners meeting and expressed their concerns for the roads in their precinct. Although not all precincts are created equal, each one receives fairly similar budgets for road repair each year. Of course, our county varies in the different precincts as far as current road conditions, type of base soil, and level of road building experience, but residents must realize that this is the same system we have been using for many years. Each newly elected commissioner “inherits” the current roads from their predecessor as well as equipment, staff, etc. He or she then evaluates the needs against their budget and what can or cannot be repaired. Going back a couple of years ago, when we had a harsh winter, and then this past rainy season (which seems to have lasted 18 months) have both taken a toll on many roads that were not problems before. And has literally destroyed other roads that were already having problems.
So those are just some of the problems, but what are the solutions? It is easy to blame the weather or the commissioner, but with almost unlimited need and limited resources in each precinct, where is the happy medium?
We would like to know what you think. Please vote in this poll and we will follow up with the results:
[poll id=”44″]
Road Construction
