Just as there is no one reason why the condition of the gravel roads in Washington County have deteriorated over the past few years, there is also no one solution to improving them either. That was Washington County Engineer David Patterson's message to Farm Bureau members.
      Patterson presented a short version of his department's gravel roads report to Farm Bureau members, Monday night, at the Farm Bureau's invitation. After his presentation, he answered questions from an audience of 40 to 50 people.
      At the beginning of the meeting, Farm Bureau board member Tim Marek said that Farm Bureau members are interested in finding solutions to address the issues. He asked for constructive suggestions from those present. Marek also said that persons with specific questions could speak to Patterson at the end of the meeting and that Patterson would schedule appointments to discuss the specific questions.
      "We're here to improve everybody's situation in the county," Marek said.
      Patterson said that he hoped the meeting would prompt a discussion about what the county can do in the future.
      "Everything's on the table," he said. "If there ever was a county engineer out there who is willing to try something different, you're looking at him. Even if it's outside the box, let's talk about it."
      Patterson said that the condition of the gravel roads has been affected by the high cost of construction materials, equipment and fuel; an increase in the number of vehicles using the roads; an increase in the weight of vehicles on the roads; and a level of rural residents' expectations of the conditions of the roads.
      The funding for secondary roads comes from a combination of local, state and federal tax dollars. County property taxes account for 25 percent of the income. Road use taxes provide about 56 percent of funding and the federal gas tax about 5 percent.
      Patterson said that Washington County has levied the maximum amount for secondary roads allowed by state law for the past 30 years.
      As Patterson continued to talk about local property taxes, he offered the following example. He said that the county's secondary roads budget receives about $264 a year from a rural residence valued at $200,000. He then said that secondary roads would receive approximately $197 a year from a "typical" 50-foot by 384-foot confinement building valued at $500,000.
      Patterson said that possible solutions could include vacating and/or downgrading roads, public-private partnerships, weight limit embargoes, designated truck routes, prevent new buildings on dirt roads, increasing the maximum levy, using local option sales tax (LOST) for secondary roads, creating assessment districts, adopting county zoning, borrowing money for future road projects, enacting additional taxes on truck-generating facilities, assessing a user fees for wind generation farms and addressing the expectations of rural residents.
      
For the full story, see the Feb. 10 edition of The Washington Evening Journal