Council Approves Detailed Study of All County Roads

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

Anderson County Council approved $337,000 for a detailed evaluation all of the county’s 1,534 miles.

The information from Roadway Asset Services (RAS) will be used to measure pavement conditions as well as which roads are viable with minor repairs, those which need some repair all the way to those already in failure.

RAS has committed to completing the work by the end of June.

Roads remain the top concern of citizens, according to council members and the county administrator. Council moved ahead on preparing a referendum adding a penny sales tax to fully fund road work on county roads, something which has not happened in the history of council.

Information on the referendum, scheduled for Nov. 2024, will be shared with voters in the months ahead.

“It’s good to remind citizens that 35-40 percent of this money would be from out-of-county and out-of-state people,” said Council Vice Chairman Brett Sanders.. “I hope we can make sure people understand this.”

Also on Tuesday night, council gave the ok to the countywide EMS service providers to increase fees by three percent. The increase will be paid by those who use the services.

Council also waived $75,000 in permit fees for the Pendleton Cheney Mill Project  “This is a good $75,000 spent,” said Council Chairman Tommy Dunn. “It’s going to really help our tax base in the long run.”

More details on the meeting in this recap with Sanders.