More roads have been added to the 2018 Madison County road plan, even though the county needs $1 million from an undesignated source to finish the current projects already on the list.
During the first board meeting of the month, District 3 Supervisor Gerald Steen made a motion to add N. Agency Lane and St. Augustine Road to the list.
“N. Agency Lane is a short road on the backside of Bridgewater, which could be called the front side, as well, of Bridgewater 2. This is in rough shape, as well as St. Augustine Road… from the entrance of Strawberry Park to Old Canton Road.”
Steen said both projects should cost $155,000, and the money would come from the general fund.
District 4 Supervisor David Bishop seconded the motion.
After some discussion about funding, District 5 Supervisor Paul Griffin made a substitute motion to also fund Avondale Road in Canton for an additional $45,000. “I know that we’ve allotted all of our road money… In fact, we’ve used all of our road money and have actually dipped into our general fund,” District 1 Supervisor Sheila Jones, board president, said. Steen said the money for these projects would also have to come from the general fund.
“I’m going to be opposed to that. I’m not opposed to putting these two roads at the end of the current list that we have, but I don’t want to dip into the general fund anymore,” Jones said. “We have a list of roads that we’ve already approved, and, if at the end of the completion of the work on those roads, if there’s any money left, we could use it for those two places.”
Jones also said these roads could be put on the 2019 fiscal year road plan.
“Based on what I know about when (current) projects are going to be completed, between now and October 1 (the beginning of the 2019 fiscal year), we will need roughly $1 million from some source to finish the projects that we have ongoing,” County Administrator Shelton Vance said.
Vance added that the $1 million would have to also come from the general fund “or some type of short-term borrowing.”
The board went forward with Griffin’s substitute motion without determining where the funds would originate.
The motion passed three to two, with Jones and District 2 Supervisor Trey Baxter opposing.
