This Week in Lincoln County – July 3, 2018

Lincoln County, particularly the Troy area, mourns the loss of Betty Hunter and Bob Dunard. Community service is an activity that brings few material rewards, but these two individuals selflessly served their community for many years and will be missed.

A few items of interest that the Commission has been working on are below.
• The original courthouse building on Main St. dates back to 1870, and in conjunction with our Bicentennial celebration for the County this year, we are making some improvements to this beautiful old structure. Please be forewarned that the front of the building will be a “work in progress” for several months leading up to the celebration in December. In addition to making repairs to the original cast iron columns, we are also working on the soffits and the cupola. The highlight of the cupola work is the removal of the vinyl siding, which will be replaced with approved material to create a more historically accurate look. Please make plans to come by in December to see all of the improvements.
• Some weeks ago we discussed the conversion of gravel roads to a hard surface, which included a list of the roads to be converted. That process is going full throttle at the moment, and everything is moving forward as planned. We were in fact able to get a 1.25-mile section of Fairview Church Rd. prepped and ready, so it has been added to the list and will be done this year as well. Asphalt is a MESSY product, but the mess is short-lived in comparison to the limestone dust that plagues gravel roads during the dry months year after year. Our plan is to repeat this process every year through 2022 at which point more than half of County maintained roads will have an asphalt surface. In 2022 the Commission will have to assess the situation, but we see no reason why this process cannot continue into the future. The funding for these projects comes from money SAVED for this purpose, over and above our reserve balances and maintenance program.
• As we move into the second half of our fiscal year, revenues are right on pace for the most part. After a slow start, sales taxes have rebounded and are only 2.5% off last year’s pace and closing the gap slowly but surely. Elected officials and department heads are doing a good job in keeping expenditures at and, in most cases, under budget. It is this commitment to fiscal responsibility that has enabled the County to take care of business and continue to maintain a healthy reserve balance. While the reserves are strong, there is always room for improvement, and we continue to look for ways to save money and bolster our financial foundation.

That’s all we have time for now. As always, call, e-mail or stop by the Courthouse if you have questions. Until next week…

The Commissioners

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