Members of the community have one last chance to weigh on the proposed TSPLOST projects this week. Commissioner Jerry NeSmith says the list of projects includes funding for road paving, sidewalks, and the Firefly Trail.
“Lots and lots of new sidewalks, and the Firefly Trial, and lots of street improvements, $25 million for street paving, it’s fixing what we have because we are about eight years behind in our street paving program,” according to NeSmith. “The Firefly Trail, I think is going to be an economic gem for us as well as something that’s going to be fun for everybody.”
Money was added to the trail and other items after staffers used estimates from the past five years instead of the past 10., that showed revenue would be closer to $109.5 million instead of $104.5 million as first thought. While those revised numbers were a boost for some projects, NeSmith says others were cut.
“We also decided that we would cut the transit expansion and replacement program from $8 million from $4 million and that was because the company that builds these buses, which are hybrid buses, they’re on a two-year production cycle or more and we already have buses on order and we’re not going to get them for another year or two.”
The Mayor and Commission are holding their regular session Tuesday at 6 pm at City Hall. The public will have a final opportunity to comment on the final list of projects for be funded by the TSPLOST 2018 before the final vote.
