Where Are the Funding Sources for County Roads and How Are They Prioritized

 Several areas of road construction are still ongoing in the County. The US 421 project is just one of many areas of construction that is still underway. The Allen Company is the contractor on that particular project and is also the contractor that the Fiscal Court awarded the contract this year for road paving projects on our County roads. Paving is one of the greatest expenses for a small County. We have close to 500 road miles we maintain and the cost of asphalt is considerably high. Most County roads average anywhere between 16-20 feet wide with some smaller and some wider. 
There are several revenue sources that factor into road funding for counties. First, there is the County Cooperative Road Aide program that is a partnership between the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Fiscal Court through the Office of Rural and Secondary Roads. Jackson County participates in that program by an agreement with KYTC that has to be signed every year which in turn gives us revenue of approximately 1.2 million dollars per Fiscal Year. This money is allocated to road maintenance, materials, equipment, road department salaries and anything road related. The next revenue source is Flex Funds. Flex Funds also come through the KY Transportation Cabinet and are distributed in accordance with the Cabinet District 11 office and also the Office of Rural and Secondary Roads. That revenue is approximately $240,000 per Fiscal Year and can only be used for road resurfacing projects. Also, the KYTC district office has to approve the roads we request by scoring them for such factors as safety, population and existing condition. The Fiscal Court can also request Discretionary Funds (FD-39 Funds) which are awarded by the Governor's Office in accordance with KYTC. To request FD-39 funds we have to fill out a request and provide an estimate for any roads we would like to request funds for. It is also scored by the District office and based on many of the same factors as Flex Funds. The Governor's office has the final approval on where and how much of these requested funds are appropriated to requesting Counties. 
Lastly, there is a new program available to Counties for requesting additional revenue for County roads. It's a program called the County Priorities Projects. CPP's are requested in a similar manner as FD-39 and Flex Funds but they are approved by the KYTC and General Assembly. They also have to be scored by the District Office and meet specific criteria to be awarded. The General Assembly has money set aside in the State Budget to award projects that meet program requirements. 
This year with road money that has been made available to the Fiscal Court, we have approved road paving projects on 13 different County roads. The estimated total for asphalt we are having laid is around 1.4 million dollars. That is roughly 10 miles of road we are having paved which breaks down to around $140,000 per mile. We had Flex Funds available from last year that we hadn't used yet as well as this year's Flex Funds so around $500,000 of the paving projects come from that particular program. Also, FD-39 and CPP revenues will pay for around $400,000 of the paving costs which leaves us paying roughly $500,000 from our County Road Aide revenues. We will need the remainder of the road budget for maintenance and equipment costs. Taking in the factor of 500 road miles the Fiscal Court maintains, I hope this sheds light on why it is very difficult to pave every road we would like to within our maintenance program. 
On a final and different note, Trick or Treat for Jackson County is set for Thursday October 31, from 5-8 pm. Please be extra alert and aware during these times as we will see many youngsters out enjoying Halloween festivities with their families and friends. 
Have a blessed week.