Are county residents willing to pay more taxes for roads? County commissioners want to know

Washington County commissioners want to hear from residents on three issues with potential fiscal impacts at a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 18 at the courthouse in Weiser.  
 Commissioners are seeking public input on the possible creation of a countywide mosquito abatement district, the pending replacement of the Unity Road bridge, and raising funds to fix roads through an over-ride levy. Commissioners have not said when and if they will take action on any of the items.
 There is currently no mosquito abatement program in the county. County residents would have to vote on a ballot measure to create a new taxing district to fund a mosquito abatement district. Voters turned down an effort to create a similar taxing district more than a decade ago.
 The issue of a mosquito abatement district in the county has been talked about in recent years. If a measure was approved by county voters, commissioners would come up with the boundaries of a district, set a budget and authorize a tax levy to fund it.
 Commissioners also want to discuss the replacement of the century old Unity Road bridge east of Weiser with residents to see if they want to pursue the estimated $6 million project.
 While it eventually will be grant funded, the county will have to start spending money later this fall or early next year to hire an engineering firm for the preliminary design, environmental reviews and other studies.
 There is no definite date yet for replacing the weight-limited Unity Road bridge. The project is contingent on when federal and state grant funding is available, and it could be a decade away from happening. By then, it could be a $10 million project, Commissioner Kirk Chandler said.
 The Cove Road bridge, which is also old and weight-restricted, is ahead of the Unity Road bridge on the timeline for replacement. Funding for replacing the Cove Road bridge, which will cost an estimated $4 million, has been pushed back from the initial date of 2018 and now looks like it won’t happen until 2022 or 2024.
 The final topic of the public hearing will take up a possible over-ride levy of $2 millon to pay for county infrastructure and road improvements.
 The county has 68 miles of paved roads that date back to the 1960s. Some roads and stretches of roads in the county were built without adequate road base and are falling apart. It’s not worth putting new asphalt over some roads that have deteriorated and need to be completely rebuilt, Chandler said.
 Commissioners can allocate $250,000 to $300,000 annually in the budget, enough to do a couple of miles of roads, but that is not nearly enough to do everything that needs to be done. There’s no way the county can currently get caught up with the work with the limited funds, Chandler said.
 The county needs $1 million to $1.5 million annually for roads and bridges for the next 10 to 15 years to get caught up. The county could rebuild 10 miles of roads a year with the additional funds that an over-ride levy could generate, he said.
 Just like with a mosquito abatement district, county voters would have to approve an over-ride levy. The revenue for roads and bridges would come from additional property taxes collected in the county.
 The public hearing will be held on Monday, Nov. 18, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Washington County Courthouse.
 Written comment may be submitted to the Washington County Clerk’s Office, P.O. Box 670, Weiser, ID 86372 prior to the hearing.