Lafayette County Reviews $8.2M Road/Bridge Maintenance Budget

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors continues to meet with department heads to review budgets for the upcoming fiscal year 2019-2020. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

Public hearings will be held in August to review the final version of the budget that must be passed by Sept. 15, according to state law.

On Friday, the supervisors met with Road Department Manager Joe Bynum who presented the department’s $8.2 million budget, which is just up slightly from this year’s current $8 million budget.

The road department’s budget is separated into two budgets – one for road maintenance at $3.873,895 million and one for bridge and culvert work at $4,350,158 million.

The road maintenance budget increased by almost $100,000 for repairs and replace parts, from $1,410,000 to $1,520,000. The personnel services part of the budget showed a $60,000 increase for merit raises. In the bridge and culvert budget, the biggest increase was in the amount allotted for gravel or shell jumping from $80,000 this year to $270,000 for the next budget.

The budget included a $1.6 request for new equipment. The department heads submit “wish lists” that are above the normal budget costs, such as equipment and vehicles. After the supervisors review the revenue projections for 2019-2020, they will review those equipment and vehicle needs to see which are needed most and add them to the departments’ budgets.

Barnum’s “big ticket” requests included five tandem axle dump trucks at $775,500.

Other items included two backhoes, two-day cab trucks and two single axle dump trucks.