CHARLESTON -- Mississippi County's roads may get some help from the general fund in 2007.
Presiding Commissioner Jim Blumenberg suggested during the regular County Commission meeting Thursday the county should transfer money from the general revenue fund into the road and bridge fund in the next budget.
Revenues for the road and bridge department have remained flat for many years, Blumenberg noted, while there is a surplus available in the general fund.
Transfers from the general fund to the road and bridge fund should continue "until we can get our blacktop back to par," he said.
Commissioner Homer Oliver said there should be more general revenue money available as transfers to the county jail should be dropping now.
Blumenberg said he has traveled gravel roads that shake his truck up because they are so rough. He noted these roads have many homes on them.
On the other hand, some other gravel roads which don't even have homes on them at all are being graded too frequently, he said.
Blumenberg said the county has five road graders but only three road grader operators working for the road and bridge department.
One new employee has been hired at the road and bridge department to fill a vacancy but at least one more person is still needed, Blumenberg said.
He said Richard Wallace, county road and bridge superintendent, has interviewed several applicants.
Blumenberg said he doesn't think three graders can keep the county's gravel roads in good condition.
He also suggested the road and bridge department needs to keep records on when county roads are graded.
Blumenberg said the county is behind on mowing as well. He said, for example, that the ditches on Spanish Grant Road are overgrown.
He also said the road and bridge department needs to use the county's mowing tractor more frequently.
Oliver said mower operators often pass by areas that need mowing on their way to and from other mowing tasks.
Commissioner Martin Lucas suggested operators should park their mowers on a farm when they finish for the day so they can come back in the morning and pick up where they left off instead of driving back and forth to the road and bridge department's shed.
"There's not an organized plan," Blumenberg said.
He said the county should also look for more ways to use prisoners from the Southeast Correction Center.
"We have to get something straightened out," Blumenberg said.