In theory, local governments are set up in such a fashion that all residents have someone looking out for their specific interests, which stands to reason. Not every area of a city or county has the same needs and challenges, so it’s important that residents have someone from their own ward or district who understands those unique needs as an advocate and policy-maker.
But there are times when turf allegiance must yield to the greater good.
We find this particularly true when it comes to paving streets and roads.
On Wednesday, the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors met with representatives from the Mississippi Office of State Aid Road Construction, which provides state funding for road and bridge infrastructure and maintenance. The message delivered from the state was clear: The county needs to address road projects on a priority basis rather than dividing the state funds equally among the five districts.
The county receives $2.1 million in state-aid funding this year, but dividing those funds among the five districts makes it almost impossible to repair any roads.
“You’ll each get $426,000 if you split it five ways,” district engineer Jerry Gilliland told the supervisors. “You can’t fix a road with that.”
Given that reality, it’s important for supervisors to remember that supervisors do not represent only those who live in their district, but all residents of the county. In any case where there are more needs than funding available to address them, the best way to address the problem is by prioritizing those needs, something families do on a daily basis.
Rather than divide that money, supervisors should devote those funds based on priority rather than location. That might mean little-or-no road money for some districts in any given year, it’s true. But it would also mean that projects are funded and completed elsewhere in the county based on criteria supervisors establish as a basis for establishing priorities.
Better to have one road paved, no matter where in the county it happens to be, than piece-meal projects that don’t adequately meet long-term needs.
Waiting your turn may not always be easy, but it is often necessary.
What we have here — and we’ve seen almost every time officials consider infrastructure projects — is a classic case of why the crabs can’t get out of the pot: They are too busy pulling each other down instead of pushing each other up.
We know what happens to crabs.
And we also see how it turns out in the conditions of our roads and streets.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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