Rhea County road boss says new money needed for roads

DAYTON, Tenn. — Faced with rising maintenance costs and a flat roads budget, Rhea County Highway Supervisor Tommy Snyder said he may stop accepting private roads into the county system.

Mr. Snyder said county-maintained road mileage has risen in recent years while the county’s portion of the state gas tax has stayed the same.

“Why shouldn’t we be getting something to take care of those roads?” Mr. Snyder asked.

County planning officials said Mr. Snyder has authority to stop taking in private roads.

But Dennis Tumlin, a Rhea County developer and former Rhea County commissioner, said such a decision could hurt the county’s growth.

He said developers have two choices when building: Make a gated community with private roads or build a subdivision with roads that become public. Developers may be forced to set up homeowners associations and charge fees to maintain roads and keep them private, he said.

Not all people can afford homeowners association fees, he said.

“It will impact your decision on whether you want to develop in Rhea County or not,” he said. “These roads aren’t going to need maintenance for 10 or 15 years.”

Mr. Snyder said counties receive money from the state’s gas tax through a formula that considers land size and population. But tax revenues haven’t risen nearly as fast as construction costs.

Marion County Highway Supervisor John Graham said several Tennessee counties have struggled with paying for new county roads. Mr. Graham also is president of the Tennessee County Highway Officials Association.

“It does make it hard to accept new roads,” Mr. Graham said. “But there are some remedies out there.”

Many counties get money from the county’s general fund to help offset those costs, he said.

Mr. Snyder said his department doesn’t get any general fund money. With county commissioners struggling to find money to renovate and expand two overcrowded schools, he said he doesn’t expect them to begin contributing to the highway department.

He said the only solution he sees is finding a way to tax the developments, and letting his department receive a portion of the money.

“They’re getting tax dollars for these new subdivisions, and I get nothing,” he said.

Rhea County commission Chairman Terry Broyles could not be reached for comment.

Robert “Bob” Forsten, chairman of the county planning commission, said no developers in recent months have asked to turn over private roads to the county. But he doesn’t believe the policy would be a problem for developers.

“He’s not preventing anyone from subdividing,” he said. “People can always subdivide and keep the road private.”