Roads, fuel and drops in revenue plague county commission

By Janet Morales

Rocky Road sounds good when you’re talking about ice cream but for the Randolph County Commissioners, trying to fill potholes with gravel is not so sweet.

The numerous snows required a lot of grading on the county roads. Now the snows have melted and taken some of the road gravel to the ditches with it. Pot holes, some of them quite deep, have resulted. And with 450 miles of such roads, taking care of the problem has proven a daunting task.

“The Road and Bridge crews have been out every day they could to try to get the worst roads under control,” said Presiding Commissioner Susan Carter. “We want to thank the public for their patience and understanding.”

Commissioner Wayne Wilcox said often the problem lies when private drives drain onto the county roads. The center of the road stays wet and more susceptible to damage with traffic.

Commissioner Randy Asbury said the graders hit those soft spots, creating the pot holes.

“But they are trying to cover as many spots as quickly s they can,” he said.

Laying gravel on the muddy, slippery “gravel’ roads is a requirement for keeping driving safe but when, where and how much are questions that must be taken under careful consideration due to the budget constraints and drop in revenues.

“We are afraid to spend too much money too early considering the budget,” said Carter.

Last year the Road and Bridge department went through 39,385 tons of rock, an average of 89.5 tons per mile. The commissioners have allowed for more rock in the budget this year, but with a target of 100 tons per mile.

Rock isn’t the only commodity Road and Bridge – and the commissioners – have to worry about. Fuel prices have soared recently, with possible hikes on the horizon.

“It’s $80 a barrel, $2.60 per gallon now,” said Carter. “Looking at the predictions, it could go to $100 per barrel. When we did the budget, we took the average from last year. Only lately has it gone up.”

The March revenue report did not elevate the mood. The General Revenue balance is still steadily increasing with a February 28 balance of $1,177,988.81. Balances for 2009, 2008 and 2007 were $926,706.85, $542,247.86 and $186,721.72 respectively.

But sales tax revenues continue their drop and are about seven percent below the year-to-date 2009 totals. Adding to the problem is an even bigger drop in state revenues, approximately 12 ½ percent.

“We are dependent on state funds for our (prisoner) per diem,” said Asbury. “Cuts on the state level could come back to haunt us.”