BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- The Stoddard County Commission awarded the 2015 contract for baling hay on the County Farm at their regular meeting Monday and heard a report from Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) District Engineer Dave Wyman about a funding shortage for roads and bridges that will have a direct impact on motorists in the county.
The commission awarded the contract for cutting hay on the County Farm to Paul Martin who bid $450 for cutting the property two times in 2015. It was the only bid received by the commission.
The bid was for a parcel north of the State Veterans Cemetery and for a parcel east of Highway 25. There are around 57 acres north of the cemetery and 25 acres east of Highway 25, though some of the land is not pasture.
Commissioner Danny Talkington noted that the bid last year was $607, so the amount this year was lower. He said the 2015 bid was still higher than the bid two years ago. The commission first began taking bids for cutting hay on the property in 2013.
Talkington said the funds derived from cutting the hay are small, but it was better than the county paying the cost of mowing and maintaining the property through the spring and summer months.
The commission voted 3-0 to award the contract to Martin.
Wyman presented the commission with information about future construction and maintenance of state roads in Stoddard County and the state. MoDOT is facing major shortfalls in funding and has adopted a plan called, "Tough Choices Ahead."
Wyman said the state faces "insufficient funding" with a forecast of only $325 million annually by 2017, which he said is less than the amount needed "just to maintain state roads and bridges." Missouri ranks 46th in the country in terms of revenue spent per mile. The state has the seventh largest highway system in the nation. There are 34,000 miles of roads in the state system.
Wyman said only 8,000 miles of primary roads would be the focus of MoDOT's limited funding. In Stoddard County, that would be U.S. Highway 60 and Highway 25. All other state roads in the county are part of the supplementary road system.
Wyman told the commission that MoDOT would attempt to "patch the potholes" on the supplementary roads, but there would be no repaving or improvements made. MoDOT has said they would be "able to do limited maintenance" on these roads and bridges. Wyman said one of the biggest problems in Stoddard County and in the Bootheel is the number of bridges over drainage ditches. These bridges will not be able to be repaired or replaced in the future. He noted that if bridges deteriorate, the load limits may be lowered, or they may be closed altogether.
Talkington asked if projects such as the one on Highway 60 for Lansing Trade Group would continue to be financed. Wyman said no. He said only projects that have already been approved and funded will proceed. No new ones will be considered. One such project is the Highway 114 project. Contractors are nearing completion of the grinding of the concrete on the highway between Dexter and Essex. The repaving of the highway from Essex to Morehouse is already funded and contracted.
Wyman noted that business routes off major highways are not part of the primary system. That would include Business 60 in Dexter, Business 61 and 60 in Sikeston and Business 67 in Poplar Bluff. There will be no improvements funded by MoDOT on these routes.
Wyman said fuel taxes provide the bulk of the revenue for Missouri transportation. Those revenues are shrinking as cars become more fuel efficient, while the tax rate has not increased in almost 20 years. Inflation has decreased MoDOT's purchasing power by 50 percent, and the cost of materials such as asphalt, concrete and steel has gone up 200 percent.
Wyman said by 2017, Missouri will not have enough money to match federal funds, which means a loss of federal funds. Federal funds provide a $4 to $1 investment to the state.
"While we'll be able to keep our primary roads and bridges in good condition, taking care of supplementary roads is another story," said Wyman. "And it's not a pretty one. Given the limited dollars available, only 27 percent will be in good condition in 10 years. And the 26 percent in poor condition today will more resemble gravel than paved roads."