Our pavement is at a crossroads

It’s Wednesday, so let’s talk about Citrus County roads.

Today’s focus is the condition of our roads which, as most know, is somewhat deplorable.

The County Commission realizes that even more today than it did a year ago. In the classic example of “be careful what you ask for,” the county hired an expert to tell us just how bad our road network really is.

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The consultant, Mott MacDonald, used a high-tech van to determine the physical condition of every paved public road in Citrus County. That’s the extent of my understanding of how this works. Really, the technology is way over my head.

Before going further, a little about how we got here. Excuse me while Grandpa Mike settles into the rocker.

We’ve long resurfaced neighborhood roads. For years, about $2 million annually spent in a system driven by citizen complaints. You know, fix my pothole, that kind of thing. The repaving was very basic. An inch of asphalt over what’s there now, and on to the next project.

That came to a halt in 2012 when Duke Energy protested a property assessment by slashing its tax payment in the middle of the year. The county had to cut millions, so programs like the annual residential resurfacing were placed on hold.

A few years passed, and citizens noticed roads getting worse. The County Commission began dedicating sums each year for residential road resurfacing, even adding a portion of the property tax. It sits at $16.3 million this year.

The Mott MacDonald report changes the entire way we look at "pavement management." I strongly urge folks to read the report. It’s filled with really fascinating data about where we stand, and the mountain that’s before us.

According to this report, we have $700 million in backlogged repaving needs (all roads, not just residential) with no funding plan. That’s for preservation, rehabilitation, and reconstruction. The lion’s share is reconstruction.

We’re at $16 million this year. The report says our road network will fall further behind at that annual pace. To maintain things as they are now, it’s $30 million a year. The annual number to move our overall road condition from “poor” to “satisfactory” is $45 million. 

These are astounding amounts.

The Commission wants to see how this thing plays out, so it directed the consultant to feed $16.3 million into the computer and let it spit out a road resurfacing work program for this year.

That’s great, but it doesn’t get us where we really need to be. And here’s the part of the blog you’ll want to turn away.

I have an idea. Maybe it’s a good idea. Maybe it’s terrible.

It works like this:

— The County Commission sets the goal for our road network. The report lists five possible categories from Very Good to Very Poor. Satisfactory, the middle category, is described: “Relatively smooth surface. Moderate to low distresses in localized areas.”

Seems like a good starting point. The report says 53% of our residential roads and 39% of other county roads fall below satisfactory.

So, let’s just say the board chooses the "satisfactory" category.

— $45 million annually gets us there in eight years. We’re at $16 million this year. You see the dilemma. How do we pay for this?

— MSTU or MSBU. A municipal services taxing district (MSTU) is like a property tax trust fund. The county sets a separate millage for that one purpose and applies it countywide. Advantages: Raises the money needed. Disadvantages, expect massive public pushback.

A municipal services benefit unit (MSBU) is similar, except it’s a flat fee on property rather than a tax. Advantages: Raises the money needed. Disadvantages, expect massive public pushback. And, not entirely sure this approach is legal.

(An additional sales tax would cover only a little more than half of what’s needed. In case anyone's wondering.)

Look, I'm shooting from the hip. I could be way off. These are very large numbers, and the County Commission's challenge is rather significant. Despite a popular refrain, this county doesn’t waste millions of tax dollars every year. You don’t see the CFO here harassing local officials. Instead, he’s handing out checks.

This is a tough one, folks. We can blame past County Commissions all we want, but it won’t smooth the road. That’s the reality we face.

— Our photo today is of a resurfaced county road. Let’s see if you can guess which one.

Nice day for a drive. Enjoy it, friends.

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