County Commission | The Magazine March 2019 | Page 9

FROM THE COVER
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ: Infrastructure Investment
Editor’s Note: When it comes to investing in Alabama’s infrastructure,
some questions come up again and again. County Commission Magazine
sat down with Sonny Brasfield, ACCA Executive Director, to talk through
four of the most common queries.

Safety is No. 1 Concern
What is the current condition of roads and bridges in our state?
A: Engineering experts recommend a 15-year resurfacing cycle for county
roads and a 50-year replacement cycle for county bridges for the safety of
our residents. But a severe lack of funding has forced counties across the state
onto road and bridge cycles in the triple digits, which has us concerned for
the safety of residents. Every day, we have school buses loaded with children
driving down these crumbling roads and spending hours detouring around
weight-restricted bridges that need replacing. And there are farmers, loggers,
manufacturers and major industry employees – loaded up with supplies
and materials – depending on our roads daily. Frankly, safety is our top
infrastructure concern right now.

‘Doing Nothing’ Puts Lives at Risk
Where do you stand on increasing the statewide gas tax?
A: If we don’t generate revenue, we will resurface less than 4,000 of the
nearly 15,000 county road miles that need to be resurfaced and replace less
than 200 of the nearly 4,000 county bridges that are 50+ years old. And
that means in 5 years, those remaining roads will be further worn down
and those bridges will be that much older and in even more disrepair. How
much longer can we go on endangering the safety of our residents? How
many more roads must be washed out? How many more bridges must be
closed? Living on a 1992 budget is no longer an option.

Improvements Needed ASAP
By how much would you recommend the statewide gas tax
be increased and why?
A: Honestly, because we have waited so long to address this problem,
we are not focused on “solving” this problem. Our focus is on making
significant improvements as quickly as possible. We support a gas tax
structure that ensures the new money is spent only on roads and bridges –
not on salaries or equipment – and that we are responsible and transparent
with residents’ investment.

Cities and Counties
Can Come to
Agreement Again
What is your response to city
leaders stating that they need
a larger portion of the gas tax
revenue?
A: When an infrastructure
investment was last actively discussed
in 2017, we came to an agreement
with city leaders, and we’re confident
that we’ll all get back to that
compromise. It’s true that everyone
can show unmet needs – just as any
county can show the massive needs
on its own road and bridge system.
But it’s important that we also look
at the money spent by the State
when determining what is fair. Over
the past 3 years, more than 60% of
the money spent on state highways
has been in urbanized areas. So,
we believe the distribution of the
proceeds is something we can work
out over the next couple of months.
COUNTY COMMISSION | 9