NATCHEZ, Miss. – The Adams County board has allocated about $350,000 to upgrade a mile of Morgantown Road using some of the $7.5 million being borrowed through a bond issue for road improvements throughout the county.
Meeting Monday, the county supervisors voted to earmark the Morgantown money while a list of other roads to resurface is being finalized.
The Adams County board has joined with the Natchez board to get federal and state funds to combine with local funds for the high-traffic Morgantown Road, which is considered the county’s most dangerous byway because it’s narrow and prone to rain-induced flooding.
While the U.S. Congress allocated $2.4 million for Morgantown earlier this year, city and county officials have been trying to find additional funds to cover the estimated $1.7 million more that’s needed to ensure the work gets fully done.
The Natchez Board of Aldermen has set aside $850,000 for Morgantown Road from federal funds the city received from the American Rescue Plan Act that Congress passed last year.
While Adams County supervisors on Monday earmarked $350,000 for part of their share, they acknowledged about $500,000 more will be needed to fulfill their allocation.
County road manager Robbie Dollar said he’s narrowing down the list of other roads to repave with the $7 million supervisors are borrowing from bond investors the county repays with additional interest over an extended period of time.
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The county board continues to consider Supervisor Kevin Wilson’s push to use federal COVID funds to help reduce the county’s debts.
The county has received about $6 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to help recover from the economic disruption caused by the pandemic.
Wilson wants the county’s financial windfall dedicated to accelerating repayment of money borrowed in the past. This, he said, would help avoid the accumulated interest expenses that amounts to “throwing money away” that could be spent otherwise. Wilson said he wants “to pay the debt down and put the county on a lot firmer (financial) ground.”
However, Supervisor Angela Hutchins said she wants ARPA funds used for specific, tangible projects to show and “say that we did something with.”
Congress enacted ARPA to be used mainly for one-time expenses, such as infrastructure improvements and economic development.
County Administrator Angie King said she’ll compile updated calculations on how much Adams County pays to service its debts. It’s previously been estimated the county pays about $3 million a year with $500,000 to $850,000 in interest.
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