Bond issue considered to speed up road plan

~ Idea discussed with the County Road and Bridge Advisory Board.

Using the revenue from a new county sales tax to back up a bond issue could greatly accelerate Cape Girardeau County's road building program, Commissioner Jay Purcell told the County Road and Bridge Advisory Board on Monday.

The idea began as he was attending training sessions in Jefferson City, Purcell said. At the meetings, he said he learned that inflation in road construction is running anywhere from 8 to 11 percent, while money could be borrowed at rates as low as 4 percent.

The advisory board, which has been meeting regularly since the fall, will soon present county commissioners with a proposal for meeting this year's paving goals as well as proposals for acquiring right of way and controlling dust, board chairman Larry Payne said. Under a construction schedule approved by commissioners last summer, the county has 8.9 miles of road slated for paving this year.

Purcell, in making the bond proposal, asked board members to consider it a way to make quick progress on paving needs.

"With inflation cost compared to interest rates, bonds make sense," Purcell said.

County voters in August narrowly approved a half-cent sales tax estimated to bring in about $6 million annually. The tax replaced property taxes for roads levied by both the county and the Cape Special Road District. Funds in excess of the money needed to replace the property taxes is split between paving projects and supporting the county sheriff's department.

The share for paving can either be spent as it is received, Purcell noted, or it can be dedicated to bond payments. Bonds expand the possibilities for speeding up the projects, he said. "Don't let the amount of money limit your ideas," Purcell said to the board. "Think of the most cost-effective way to do the most roads possible."

The idea for bonding also has a seed in the response from residents during the campaign for the tax, Purcell said. Too many times, he said, he heard county residents say they wouldn't see county roads paved in their lifetime. A fast-paced road program fueled by bond money would be visible evidence that voters are getting their money's worth, Purcell said.

Cape Girardeau County is responsible for a little more than 400 miles of roads, of which about 100 miles are paved.

To get on the list for paving, landowners along a county road must all provide easements giving the county 30 feet of right of way from the center of the road.

The board has been studying the county's list of roads set for paving, and has found "enough information about the warts, bumps and discolorations" in the program to know it needs work, Payne said.

In addition, the board has been looking at dust control ideas, ranging from chip-and-seal paving to oil applications and new materials for gravel roads, board member Ken Spooler said.

The bond issue idea is intriguing, Spooler said. It could lead to a "campaign to get everything done in five years at 60 miles a year," he said. The 60-miles per year idea would be a mix of paving projects and long-term dust control that would provide benefits along every county road, he said. Recommendations for action on both dust control and right of way acquisition will be the main topics of the board's next two meetings. After the board makes its choices, Payne said, it will make a presentation to the county commission and hold a series of public meetings around the county in late March or April to explain the choices.

rkeller@semissourian.com

335-6611 extension 126