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Road budget a balancing act
Published Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Editor’s note: The following is the third in a series of stories looking at the financial state of the Chilton County Commission and county departments. The first two stories appeared on July 29 and 31.
Chilton County Engineer Tony Wearren is planning to trim about $700,000 from the road department budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The proposed budget comes to an approximate total of $4 million, compared with the $4.77 million the department started out with on Oct. 1, 2008.
But all current county budgets were cut in midstream when the commission learned of a potential $1.2 million shortfall in March. This meant a $191,000 reduction for the road department, mostly in the area of labor.
While fuel is stable for now, the costs of building materials, supplies, parts, labor rates and equipment continue to go up.
“The bottom line is we just do less,” Wearren said.
Most likely, this will mean less resurfacing, shoulder clipping and repair work on paved roads. Not to mention the fact that Wearren’s department is operating with 10 less staff members — 44 total — than when he started a year and a half ago.
“My whole aim is we’d rather keep everyone we’ve got and not have to lay anybody off than to build staff back up and worry about layoffs in the future,” he said.
Bibb County’s road department, for example, laid off all their grass cutting workers for the winter.
“I don’t believe in doing that,” Wearren said.
The road budget is divided up into four operating funds: 7-cent gasoline, 4-cent RRR, 5-cent RRR, and severance.
The 7-cent gas fund is mainly for salaries, equipment and repairs. The 4-cent RRR and 5-cent RRR, which stand for rehabilitation, restoration and resurfacing, can be used for such items as digging roadside drainage ditches. Also, roads may be paved out of the 5-cent fund.
Reductions were made as follows: $114,032.04 out of 7-cent gasoline; $19,951.32 out of 4-cent RRR; $49,545.36 out of 5-cent RRR; and $7,567.50 out of severance.
While some county departments are opting to sacrifice training, Wearren said much of his department’s training is mandatory. Road crewmen must be certified in bridge inspection, roadway technician work, storm water and Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) requirements, to name a few.
“I’ve got to have a certain number of hours every year in order to keep my license, and I’ve got to have my license in order to keep this job,” he said.
In his proposed budget for 2009-2010, Wearren is asking for the 8 percent back. Still, it will probably be the most difficult balancing act yet.
While equipment must be maintained to a certain degree, it is sometimes easier to buy another gallon of fluid than to repair a leaking lift cylinder on a truck. For this reason, during a tight budget year, repairs are made as money becomes available. This in turn reduces the amount of equipment actively working on the roads.
“Roads and bridges are only going to get worse until we get the money to catch up,” Wearren said. “If I cut people, the work’s not going to get done either.”
The answer? Wearren said a 1-cent sales tax would generate substantial revenue for the county’s roads and bridges. Commissioners have discussed a referendum for a 1-cent sales tax this year, but no decision has been reached.
Ultimately, Wearren says, it’s the people’s choice.
“If you vote it down, it means you’re happy with what you’ve got. If you vote for it, it means you want more,” he said.
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Comments
Posted by donnyo (anonymous) on August 5, 2009 at 11:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
<“The bottom line is we just do less,” Wearren said.>
You mean they have the ability to do less than the *nothing* they (don't) do, already???
That's incredible.
If that's the case, then mankind must be very close to harnessing anti-matter.
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 1:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
While, that may be true for a few individuals in his dept, Tony has done a great job. Whenever an issue arises that I feel needs correcting in our neighborhood, I have talked to Tony, problem fixed within a day. That has not always been the case. And I know with the impending budget cuts, the repair/problem response time will legthen. But, overall, this dept is/has vastly improved over what it used to be. Keep up the good work Tony. And keep trimming the dead weight!
Posted by carol (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 4:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"Bibb County’s road department, for example, laid off all their grass cutting workers for the winter.“I don’t believe in doing that,” Wearren said.
Well, why not? Do we need to keep workers on a payroll just for the sake of keeping there jobs. What do they do in the winter time anyway? If they're not gonna be cutting grass and maintenance on equipment has been done, what do these people do in the winter time? I know sometimes in past when they didn't have work to do they swept shop floors, etc. Being off a couple of months is better than having to let someone go permanently down the road (pun intended). Seems like they could save a few bucks there by trimming the winter payroll. Just wondering if this is wise working practices or just wanting to give the employees a payday .
I am not saying Tony Wearren is not doing a good job.....................I'm just asking a question. I don't think anyone WANTS to pay more taxes.
Posted by Tommy (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 6:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Well if you lay people off in the winter months and they eventually find a job they can keep for 12 months then you lose that experienced person. I know you are going to say "how much experience does it take to cut grass?" Well when you are cutting grass next to traffic, on steep slopes and around objects all day, then experience is necessary. I've tried allowing my 19 year old to operate some of my farm equipment and when I'm not around, the equipment seems to always break down with him. Less experience requires more repairs.
As far as what they do during the winter, there are always potholes to patch, road edges to clip, trees to be cut and debris to be cleared from drainage ditches and from under bridges.
Although I don't personally know Tony, from everything I have read and working in the same field as he does, I think he is doing a GREAT job with less.
Posted by bamagirl77 (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 7:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
kw- glad you can get something done, maybe you need to travel on county road 59 between Floyd Church and the interstate, then give them a call, because obviously our calls don't amount to anything for at least 6 months. I remember a few years ago, they were supposed to re-pave our road and somehow they got confused and repaved county road 59 to the river. Guess that means we are out of luck over here huh?
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That confusion, as you call it, was under another engineer. And that road has more tax paying citizens per mile than your stretch does. Combined with the shape that section of road was in, I would say they did a great job. I use Grace's Marina, and, the paving of 59 to Lake Mitchell was VERY MUCH appreciated!
My suggestion to you 0-bama gal, would be to go see Tony in person. That's what I do. Ask and ye shall receive. Complaining on a web site, just doesn't cut the mustard. Unless, your Dude, in which case, he just cuts the cheese! DOH!!! Welcome back, again, Michael.
Posted by southernpride (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 9:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I am with Carol on this one. With all the prisoners just sitting in the county jail, why not let the minimum security do some of the work for the road department?
Posted by sapuser (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you have not figured out by now Chilton county,is a county of who you know.The ones who get things done are the ones who are either in the pockets of the right people or just grew up with them and ate their mothers home made apple pie together.
Posted by TheDude (Michael Wells) on August 6, 2009 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
YO!
Posted by tee_kristina (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 12:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Well it looks like the last part (10%) of County Road 85 is not going to be paved "again" What a surprise.
Posted by myhumbleopinion (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
While I understand that the road department covers more than just resurfacing and repairing roads, it seems that, to most citizens (myself included), this is a major area of dissatisfaction. While it’s always hard to see someone lose their job, if the need can be met in another, more cost effective way (prisoner trustees) then it just makes good business sense (something the county could use a bit more of, it seems). After all, running a county and/or a city IS a business. The savings could then be used towards the desperately needed resurfacing of many county roads.
OR
Since our tax dollars are obviously not being used to repair the roads, I suggest that they can be used to repair our vehicles, which are being absolutely abused by the condition of the roads.
Posted by johnnie (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 1:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
County Road 209 in Jemison has been scraped more this summer than it has been in the 10 years I've lived there. However, if the person doing the scraping would trench the ditches we wouldn't have drainage tracks at least 5 inches deep across the road. It's also funny how every dirt road around us has been paved but not 209. My neighbor a few houses down was told that it's because we haven't been loud enough with our complaints.
Posted by sapuser (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)
County Road 340 was scrapped last week right before the torrential rains and now we have some awesome pigtrails to ride on and when everyone is playing chicken down there, your lucky if your dont blow out all four tires in all the new ruts caused from the rains the last few days, and Lord help us if it rains anymore this weekend because it will be at least another 6 months or more before we get to see any road work down our way.
Posted by dixiedreaming (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 3:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have to give kudos to the Engineer and his employees. WHile I have seen the grading of the roadways decline over the past year or so, at least they do get graded and with the County virtually broke, I'm glad we get what we get.
I phoned the Courthouse one time to get through to the Engineer's office. I was on a cell phone and the employee refused to transfer me, refused to give me a phone call, even refused to give the phone to someone who wasn't rude! When I finally got the engineer's office, the employee who I spoke to came out within the hour just beating a thunderstorm and took care of the problem himself!
I applaude the engineers office. If they must lay off, they need to get rid of the lazy pencil pushers in the Courthouse!
Posted by getbizi (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Bibb County’s road department, for example, laid off all their grass cutting workers for the winter.
“I don’t believe in doing that,” Wearren said..........?????? I have never actually seen roadside grass being cut in Chilton county. There are tons of free day laborers in the county jail. Beyond that, the only time I had an issue with my road, Mr. Wearren promptly responded.
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 8:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dixiedreaming, while I feel your pain about other county offices in the courthouse, if you called the courthouse, (whatever that means), that was your mistake. The engineer's office isn't even close to the courthouse. There is no interlink in the phone system between the engineer's office and other offices physically located in the courthouse. There is only one secretary in the engineer's office. Makes your story sound made up for the largest part. Right up to Tony solving complaints quickly. He will try to solve most issues promptly, within reason.
Those complaining about dirt roads.... MOVE. They didn't tear up a paved road to install a dirt road, just to tick you off. Be glad it gets scraped and not scrapped. If it were scrapped instead of scraped, it would become part of the many log roads recovered by timberland.
As for grass cutting, I bush hog the road for half of a mile on both sides the road where I live. I cut the grass with a mower close to my house. That helps the county, and the general public traveling the road through our S-curves. Keeping the brush clear helps visibility around the dangerous curves that most drive like the Autobhan. Stop whining and do your part to help. Volunteering time and resources doesn't take much effort. Probably less effort than working 8 hours a day to pay for internet service, and the time spent logging on to this web site to complain.
Just my opinion.
Posted by donnyo (anonymous) on August 6, 2009 at 9:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If they would just patch up that intersection at the old school, I'd be happy.
Posted by carol (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 4:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The idea of using non violent prison inmates is a good idea, so somebody tell us why that isn't being done. Will it cost more than paying regular employees? I think not. I know they used to let the inmates out to work for people and the jail would get a nice percentage of the inmates pay. There are well bodies plenty able to do this work just sitting there doing nothing. It might actually help rehabilitate some inmates................mind you I said might. Maybe the sheriff can tell us why the inmates aren't used, whatta you say Sheriff? Can you shed some light on this for us?
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
People employing inmates must provide workman's comp insurance. The transportation, and liability is a cost most do not want to incur. And even if a minimal risk non-violent offender were to walk away from work release, many here would be crying foul. As for the use of inmates to do county jobs, maybe your employers could replace you with inmates. Sounds like a great idea for small businesses. Lower wages, no healthcare insurance, sounds like you have the answer to America's recession. Fire all of the people making minimum wage, or better, and replace them with every inmate sitting on their sorry butts. Hey! Carol, let's start with your job first!
Posted by doboy09 (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 9:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
well just to catch some of you up that may not know Sheriff was doing something about this problem. He had the prison transport van with county jail inmates out picking up garbage and they were supervised by a deputy and they were doing a great job cleaning up county roads all over Chilton County. I have actually been told that that would be starting back up soon. Great job Sheriff and Ken warden at the jail for coming up with that. At least for a little while some of our county roads were kind of clean. thank you
Posted by johnnie (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
KW, I'm not complaining about living on the dirt road, it was my choice. But people tend to forget, just like the people who live on paved roads, my husband and I pay taxes in this county. To be honest, I really don't care about it being paved, but I would like for it to stay passable, even if they just come out and fix the 2 places on 209 that have ruts from the last rain.
Posted by eagle1 (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 1:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now, I'm getting confused. Is kw the Sheriff? Seems to be answering, or trying to answer questions for him, anyway.
Posted by SFC (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
CR 85 still is not paved all the way. A few years ago the county had all of the equipment out to do the work. It had been surveyed to start work. A little old lady with a shotgun scared the county off and she was one of the persons that signed the paper work to have it paved.
Like Tee said "Well it looks like the last part (10%) of County Road 85 is not going to be paved "again" What a surprise".
Posted by dixiedreaming (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
KW, I respect your opinion, however, when you phone the County on a cell phone with a number given to you by information, the "link" between the Couthouse and the Engineer's office isn't that large. You cannot tell me the Chilton County Courthouse doesn't have a phone listing of numbers in various departments and you cannot tell me that don't have a phone book lying around.
I can assure you the story isn't made up nor was it imagined. When I got home, I called the Engineers office from the phone book rather than relying on AT&T information and didn't get a secretary, it was a male who answered the phone and took care of the problem. I left my house 2 hours later, just after the thundercloud moved on and the problem was taken care of.
The person at the Courthouse was in the Probate Judge's office. I wrote a complaint to the Probate Judge which went unheeded (of course). I point out he is an elected official and the Engineer is not.
I am a civil servant myself. I'd not treat someone who calls my office as rude as this person was at the Courthouse and if you'd never been treated rudely by them, try calling them from a cell phone and see if they'll give you a number.
Posted by kwsrgraves (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 5:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Dixie, I feel your pain. I think they trained those ladies in Tim Little's office how to be rude, back in 1895. I have been dealing with those same women for 20 years. I ALWAYS go in with a sense of humor and a joke. Then, either they can't understand humor, or the person in line, in front of me, slapped them in the mouth with a wet squirrel. That is the WORST office in America as far as attitudes go. And getting help with a title issue from them is akin to asking them to decipher ancient Egyptian writings. (Couldn't spell hieraglyphics!)
Posted by kdavis (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 5:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Great Questions
The Chilton County Sheriff's Office are taking inmates out daily to remove trash from the roadways of the county. I ask the commission about two years ago for employees so that we could do more and I received one part-time jail employee. My plan was to put inmates with the grass cutting crews, supervised by deputies, weedeating around signs and bridges and picking up trash. The only way we are able to send inmates out is after court is over and we let our transport/courthouse employees go out with inmates. Some days we get out for 8 hours and some days just after lunch. I have just called the warden to get you all the numbers on the trash we have removed in the last few months. I will say that I agree with you all and wish the inmate count at the county jail was at less cut in half during the day because everyone is our working for our county. The only problem is even trustees have to be watched and the jail still has to run during the day. So to answer the question I do think with just a few more employees for the Sheriffs Office we could do many good jobs for the county with little expense to the taxpayers. We use the part-time employee ,I talked about earlier, to take inmate and cut the grassat all the county owned buildings.
Posted by kdavis (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 6:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Captain Harmon just called me back with the information about the inmate trash detail. In the last 3 months we have removed 220 bags of trash from Chilton County roadways. These bags count for over 8000 lbs of trash. The following roads have been worked in the past 3 months--
Co.Rd.42, Co.Rd.37, Co.Rd.410, Co.Rd.75, Co.Rd.76, Co.Rd.81, Co.Rd.29, Co.Rd.753, Co.Rd.50, Co.Rd.32, Co.Rd.152, Co.Rd.15, Co.Rd.24, Co.Rd.49, Bell Lane Road, Enterprise Road, Samaria Road, and Old Henry Road.
Posted by eagle1 (anonymous) on August 7, 2009 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kudos to the residents that also pick up trash on these aforementioned roads on a "daily basis". Imagine if these folks hadn't pitched in on their "own" time to pick up trash on county roads, what the bag count would be. You could probably add 8000 lbs. more of trash to what the inmate trash details picked up.
Posted by angieid (anonymous) on August 9, 2009 at 2 a.m. (Suggest removal)
hmm i dont have much confidence in the county road dept. the roads in this county are by far the worse roads ive had the misfortune of having to drive on... and i have lived in a lot of counties in this state.. jefferson walker shelby talledega st clair as well as the states of florida michigan georgia north dakota and minnesota... i dont have much confidence in our road dept being as i had called four times about a section of county rd 68 which busted the oil pan on my van 4 times. the offending area was caused by our county rd dept putting a drainage pipe in under the road.. they dug up a trench installed the pipe and "patched" the hole... there are three such places where they did this... one at the begining one at the end and one in the middle.. its the one in the middle that had is the one that kept busting my oil pan. when you are driving down the road coming from the direction of hwy 51 towards county rd 48 it will jar your teeth in your jaw when you hit it.... i called and repeatedly asked for them to fix it and they kept telling me they would take care of it... i lived off county rd 68 for three yrs it never was repaired... i moved to hwy 31 in thorsby back in jan... i was down that section of the road about a month ago saw that it still hadnt been fixed turned around and went back to county rd 51 and followed it further down to county rd 48 to avoid having to replace my oil pan once again... it seems to me if they can dig the road up for their "repairs and upgrades" they should at least leave the road in reasonable condition. I AM IN NO WAY HAPPY with "what weve got" .... so i would vote for an increase for the road dept... but please if you cant leave the road in similar condition to its original state at least start paying my repair bills for the offending damage caused by our depts failure to do the job they are charged with.
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