From WZEP Am1460
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] 331 Meeting
Those gas saving cars and higher gas prices resulting in less driving are one cause for the lack of money to build new roads. And design and building practices taking longer than they can do it in China could be another problem as far as one resident is concerned. These were two issues as the Walton Commissioners held their second public meeting on the 331 widening. Like the meeting in DeFuniak Springs, this one in southern Walton only had about 30 in attendance.
Commissioners were told by an FDOT representative that gas revenue is down. This is cited as one reason for the state requiring local participation on new projects. They were also told a toll and revenue analysis is being done. They are beginning the traffic study to determine what the toll amount would need to be to pay back the $75 million plus charges needed as Walton’s share of the 331 bridge project. The exact amount of a toll is not yet available, but they anticipate the numbers for the fall of this year. They will look at the traffic and its composition.
Commissioner Cecilia Jones said she would like to look at a reduced rate for the working people who travel south. She also talked about all residents. A frequency analysis could be done to provide a discount.
The commitment is, once the toll debt is collected, then it would be taken off. It will take about 4 years to build the bridge from design to completion. The state will be looking at the finance structure. They would match the revenues coming from the project to the financing. Commissioner Sara Commander asked if the County can ask to be able to pay off the bond earlier. This could be worked in. It was noted that tolling is not the answer for everything, but is one mechanism to pay for projects.
A resident, Mary Nelson, asked about our area having high tourist traffic and people who do not have Sunpasses. She asked, if they use the toll-by-plate program where a picture is taken of the vehicle and a bill sent, what is the collection rate. For all, including in state and out of state, the collection rate is about 6 out of 10. Soon the state will start using a collection agency and expects this rate to improve.
Walt Campbell, pastor South Walton First Baptist Church, said a toll will impact the faith community. He said people will not be able to attend if they pay all week to go to work. Campbell also pointed out they have no options if a toll can not be paid. He said they are at their mercy.
Kirby Rushing said he would rather a toll than a tax because he has never seen a government do away with a tax. At least one other talked about his preference to a tax, saying .50 on $100 in not much. He noted there is a $5000 cap on the tax and food and pharmacy is not taxed. Another resident said he was a retired engineer and asked why not widen the road and simply add a lane to the bridge that is there. He said the time to design and build is long and could be a problem with raising costs. He told commissioners China built a large airport from design to build in a few months and suggested we could do the same.
A vote will be held May 8[SUP]th[/SUP] to decide if residents want a half cent sales tax added. This would go to pay off the debt and would go away after the debt is settled. It would be the fastest way to pay the debt off. If the sales tax method is not used, then the commissioners can decide to use a toll on the new bridge only or find some other way to fund the needed $75 million. If they decide to do nothing, then the money will go to another bridge project in the state.