The Vance County Board of Commissioners accepted a preliminary report on subdivision roads in need of improvement.
Although county ordinance now requires that roads in subdivisions meet higher standards than in the past, the roads in question predate that piece of legislation.
The report identified 42.66 miles of unpaved subdivision road divided into three levels of need, with “1” denoting the greatest need and “3” the least. Eight roads were classified as 1’s, most as 2’s, and 16 as 3’s.
County staff estimates that improvements could cost between $16.2 and $17.1 million. That estimate was characterized as “rough”.
County Manager Jerry Ayscue said that grants to pay for the road upgrades were sought, but that nothing could be found that the county could apply for. He told members that the alternative is special assessments.
A special assessment is a property tax that addresses a special project in a particular area. If a majority of residents agree (two-thirds or three-quarters, depending on the circumstances), the special assessment can legally be levied on all property owners who would benefit from the project. In essence, the county would front the money for the project, and property owners would be bound to repay the county over time. The special assessment runs with the land, so future owners would be obligated as well.
Commissioner Danny Wright questioned the legality of binding those who do not want the road improvements to paying for them.
Member Deborah Brown, who has long championed the cause of those who live in county subdivisions with poor roads, called the report “a good first step.”
Brown went on to say residents should be presented the option of improving their roads with a special property tax assessment. She went on to say that if residents don’t agree, “it’s out of our hands.”
Commissioner Dan Brummitt stated that he would like to see some “preliminary math” to see if the road improvements are attainable by special assessment and how much the added taxes would be.
Wright added that those developers who profited from the sale of the subdivision homes in question “need to be continually looked at and need to make good on the roads they put in there.”
Commissioners will most likely take the matter up again at their next planning retreat.