By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

The Levy County Commission may collect as much as $400,000 in gas tax revenue next year from the 11 cents per gallon it levies at the pump, but the gas tax is but a fraction of the total county road department budget.

Commissioners were told at Tuesday’s budget workshop the total road department budget this year was $10.8 million including state grants, but when state grants are removed the total budget is $5.2 million.

“Gas tax was not the savior. It’s just a help,” said Commission Chairman John Meeks.

Road Department Administrative Office Manager Alice LaLonde said despite the size of the road department budget the county hasn’t resurfaced a paved road since the hard freeze, “whatever that year was.”

The gas tax pays some salaries and offsets the amount of property tax money commissioners must transfer to the road department every year. It also pays for repairs of roads.

Commissioners transferred $675,000 of property tax money to the road department this year.

Jared Blanton, who serves as the financial director for the clerk’s office and budget officer for the county commission said it’s common to use gas tax money to pay salaries of road department employees who build and repair roads.

Blanton tossed out the possibility of adding yet another 1 cent gas tax to the 11 cents already being imposed. Commissioners rejected the idea. The board added 5 cents to the gas tax in January.

This was the first of five budget workshops Blanton requested of the board. The following is the workshop schedule including Tuesday’s meeting.

• 5-22-18 Workshop – Overview, trends, threats, department requests

• 6-19-18 Workshop – Revenue Updates, Constitutional Officer Requests

• 7-3-18 (mini) Workshop – External Agency Requests

• 7-17-18 Workshop – Revenue Updates, Cleanup of Undecided Options

• 7-31-18 Final Workshop – Receive Tentative Budget and Set Tentative Millage. Full balancing with Anticipated Revenues.

• 9-4-18 – Tentative Hearing

• 9-18-18 – Final Hearing

Crucial discussions on special assessments on property will take place during the summer months.
Blanton said the county’s biggest problem is its size, 1,118 square miles but with a small population of just 41,000. He said it’s a lot of road surface area and not much revenue to maintain it.

LaLonde said the road department would like to do more resurfacing of roads and begin paving more roads on the paving priority list.

The problem is lack of revenues.

The estimated cost of resurfacing County Road 345 would be $190,000. The estimated cost of widening and resurfacing County Road 347 would be $315,000.

Commissioners agreed in the workshop to consider adding an additional $100,000 to the road resurfacing program.

Photo by Terry Witt: Jared Blanton, who serves as the financial director for the clerk’s office and budget officer for county commission, discusses the road department budget with commissioners.

Board of County Commission Budget Workshop May 22, 2018
Posted May 22, 2018