A Public Forum on the County Road System will be held tonight (Monday) at 6:30 p.m. at the Mount Pleasant Civic Center.
Nigel Christopher with Better Roads for Titus County will give a presentation on Proposition 1 on this election ballot. David Bird will be moderator for the evening. There will be a panel discussion. Participants will include Upshur County Commissioner Frank Berka. Upshur County has had the Unit Road system for many years.
If Proposition 1, the approval of a County Road System, passes on November 8th the County Commissioners will hire a qualified Road Engineer to supervise a countywide Road Department.
Texas Transportation Code 252.309(a) says, " The Road Engineer is responsible for the efficient and economical construction and maintenance of the countyroads." This includes staff, equipment and materials needed to accomplish the task. Commissioners will no longer be involved with day-to-day road operations, but will still be responsible for setting road policy
Frequenly Asked Questions
1. Will this change make the roads better?
Yes, but not overnight. It may take several years with professional design, better training and use of proven construction methods, such as seal coating, for the roads in Titus County to steadily improve.
2. Will this improve road safety?
Yes, as collapsing roads and disintegrating surfaces are eliminated, new roads will be professionally designed and constructed to straighten, level and widen county roads. Better roads will reduce the likelihood of accidents.
3. Will this increase costs?
In the short term costs may rise due to hiring a qualified engineer. To offset this about $45,000 should be saved by the elimination of the Commissioner travel allowances and claiming fewer business miles. There is also excess and duplicated equipment in our county inventory that may be sold to help offset expected increases. Long term, as Titus County catches up on road repair, costs should naturally fall.
4. How will this affect county roads crew employees?
Good experienced employees are valuable. There should be nothing to worry about, or no more than when a new Commissioner is elected under the current system. There will be plenty of work scheduled to get the roads in better shape. Road crews will also benefit from professional training and proven road construction methods.
5. How will this affect the Commissioners?
Without the daily responsibility of supervising a road crew, our County Commissioners can focus their time and energy on their other two main roles, approving the County budget and setting policy for the County government. Their position will become more of a Trustee like the members of the City Council, School, College, Hospital, Water District and other Boards which oversee various aspects of local government.
6. How many other counties are using the County Road System? Currently 79 counties are using some version of the County Road system, an increase of 50% since 1998 when the Texas Association of Counties reported that 52 were. Since 1998 no county has stopped using the System.
7. Will I still be able to call my Commissioner?
Yes, your Commissioner will no doubt want to help and relay your concerns or questions to the County Road Engineer.
8. What are the long term benefits of a County Road System?
Better and safer roads, lower costs and more development in the county leading to economic growth.
9. How does this compare with what the city does?
Titus County has approximately 370 miles of roads. The City of Mt. Pleasant has 110 miles, and on average the roads are twice as wide as county roads. Therefore, city roads are equivalent to about 250 miles of county roads. The county road budget is $2 million while the city budget is about $2.5 million Included in the city road budget is about $1/2 million of loop payments, electricity for street lighting, road sweeping and two crews that cut and patch roads for utility work. Another major component of the city road expense is the $1/2 million they spend each year contracting a professional road construction firm to resurface many miles of city streets. This is the key reason why the city streets are in better shape than the county roads.
10. Why should I vote for the County Road System?
Because it will lead to better and safer roads, save money and encourage development in Titus County
Early voting begins October 24.
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