With the possibility of Fayette County obtaining additional funding for road improvements from the state, county commissioners are working toward establishing a program to use those funds effectively.
County Commissioner Frank Jackson on Tuesday, during the regular commissioners meeting, spoke with Fayette County Highway Department Superintendent Richard Corum about the subject, informing Corum that a program would have to be instituted in order to account for how those road funds are spent.
“I’m not sure of all the mechanisms, but Fayette County and some other counties stand to receive some additional highway monies,” Jackson said. “However, these are all generalities. There has to be a program in place so that when the state and federal government (issue the funds), they want to see how the money is expended.”
The funds, if received by Fayette County, would be the result of a bill – Senate Bill 67 – introduced by State Sen. Brandt Hershman that would release roughly $418 million from a state fund to be distributed to counties statewide for road improvements.
Currently, each local government has an account the state uses to distribute local income tax. Because the state’s economy has grown and because of the way the state distributes the money to local units of government, the fund has accumulated extra revenues. But by state law, the state government can only distribute the extra funds once they exceed 50 percent of the local governments’ annual income tax receipts and only that amount above the 50 percent level.
The Senate bill would make a one-time distribution of much of the balances to local governments immediately. The stipulation on the local governments is is that at least 75 percent must be spent on roads or placed into a rainy-day fund to be used for road funding at a later date.
Fayette County, for instance, would receive $695,490 if the bill passes, which would be used for local road improvements such as paving.
“We need to put some kind of program in place,” regarding the funds and their use, Jackson told Corum.
Jackson added that a meeting with Corum and others within the county that are knowledgeable about the subject, in order to conceive the program, should be forthcoming.
“It would really help us,” Corum said of the funds and the impact it could have on improving county roadways. He did add, however, that he is unsure whether the program — once conceived — could be implemented this spring and summer.
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