For the second time this year, Oktibbeha County supervisors appear willing to penalize construction companies whose heavy vehicles continue to damage public roadways.
Supervisors instructed board attorney Jackson Brown Monday to study a potential new policy that could produce a ticketing mechanism for deputies and constables in order to curb heavy truck usage on unapproved county roads.
Developers do check in with county officials in regard to the routes their equipment will use, District 1 Supervisor John Montgomery said, but the county’s ability to enforce transportation agreements is almost futile without an ordinance’s explicit directive.
“We’re just at a point now where something has to get done,” he said. “It’s not all of the developers, and it only takes one to really start messing up a road.”
The board took no further action on the matter Monday, but a review of new rules could come in the future.
Supervisors received numerous infrastructure complaints this year from Blackjack Road residents as developers continue building large-scale, commercial apartments in the area.
In June, supervisors indicated a willingness to explore rules that would limit hauling weights for large trucks after about 20 residents voiced their concerns in a previous meeting. The board also approved $13,000 for small patching projects along Blackjack Road to alleviate damage caused by heavy trucks.
Complaints of safety issues associated with the large hauling operations also emerged, as residents said heavy trucks routinely block the well-traveled thoroughfare.
Officials previously mulled installing “No parking” and “No unloading” signs in the area so then deputies would have rules to enforce.
An increase in Blackjack Road development is a double-edged sword for Oktibbeha County residents.
Supervisors hope to utilize the three proposed housing developments in the area in a tax increment financing (TIF) package to fund significant improvements, including various road projects like widening, resurfacing and overlay efforts.
The $4.78 million-maximum plan is contingent on the developments, a combined $100 million worth of investments, coming to fruition and adding about $593,000 annually to the county tax rolls.
In July, the board approved an 11-parcel TIF district that comprises the development area. The county is expected to spread bond payments across 15 years at about a 4.5 percent interest rate once they’re issued.
The housing projects should also provide the consolidated school system an additional $718,000 per year, which cannot be waived by officials.
Officials have predicted more development in the eastern portion of the county as investors seek parcels for commercial, residential and mixed-use facilities close to Mississippi State University’s campus.
A potential Starkville annexation study could even suggest the city takeover the area, thereby adding additional tax streams while expanding services. The Blackjack Road developments and the entire community itself is one of five logical expansion areas, but city officials have yet to confirm what outlying territories Starkville could annex in the future.
But as development increases, so do the local and board complaints about the corresponding traffic surge.
In October, District 5 Supervisor Joe Williams called for the planning of a four-lane expansion project to help alleviate the congested thoroughfare. He called upon County Engineer Clyde Pritchard to develop plans for the project, but Pritchard said he was not ready to begin designing them without knowing key project tenants, like specific TIF funding amounts, traffic projections and how long supervisors would want to make the road last without major maintenance projects.
Williams has leaned upon Pritchard more often in the past board meetings by saying the county should invest in larger and more expensive road projects in his district.
Supervisors are expected to receive additional state aid monies, and board members have routinely drawn lines in the sand over the projected funding amount.
Officials previously tasked Pritchard to develop a comprehensive road improvement plan in tandem with the upcoming funding stream but rescinded the Williams-backed order Monday, instead opting to conduct windshield evaluations on their own and individually develop work lists.
The study’s cost was originally projected at about $30,000. District 2 Supervisor Orlando Trainer last month said he was amiable with each of the five supervisors using a portion of their own improvement monies to fund the study, but board members came to a consensus at the last meeting to eventually pull the order.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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