City dips into street fund to buy street sweeper

When members of Nevada's infrastructure committee arrived at their meeting Thursday night expecting to allocate $500,000 of transportation sales tax money for street construction, they found to their shock that the city manager had decided to take $200,000 of that money to purchase a new street sweeper, leaving $300,000 for street construction in 2008.

Joe Charles, public works director, told the committee that the city manager said that the city will have to buy a street sweeper using $200,000 from the $500,000 the city council earmarked for street construction from the 1/2-cent transportation sales tax voters renewed in August 2006.

"That's his interpretation of how the tax reads," Charles told the committee.

McGuire was not available for comment and a city hall employee said this morning that he would not be available until Monday.

The ballot measure reads, "Shall the City of Nevada continue for five years an existing sales tax of one-half of one percent for Transportation Purposes for resurfacing and construction of curbs and guttering for existing Nevada streets. All funds collected each year shall be deposited to the street fund for this purpose."

The city's current street sweeper is 11 years old and is in constant need of repair.

"It doesn't seem right that it should come from these taxes," said infrastructure board member Leonard Ernsbarger.

The 1/2-cent tax generates about $700,000 per year and any money over the $500,000 dedicated for street construction goes to the street department for construction, equipment and other expenses.

Ben Mendenhall, one of the original members of the street committee that was turned into the infrastructure board in 2006, said that he did not remember the ballot saying anything about using the sales tax money for any purpose but street construction.

"I think they are using part of our sales tax to do things other than street construction," Mendenhall said.

"If we're running short on construction money, why are we taking money pledged to the people for construction for some other purpose," he said.

Although the city council increased the amount of the sales tax money earmarked for street construction from $400,000 to $500,000 when the tax was renewed, the rapid increase in the cost of asphalt has cut into the amount of paving that can be done.

John Haggans asked Charles about the possibility of paying for the street sweeper over a period of four years, instead of taking the $200,000 in one lump sum.

Charles said that the city manager is opposed to purchasing anything without paying cash for it.

"I still don't think it's right," Haggans said.

"Tell the city manager to find the money somewhere else for the street sweeper," Mendenhall said.

He told the board that this comes before the council that they need to go to that council meeting and present their view that at least $400,00, and preferably $500,000, should be used for street construction.

The $200,000 cut in the amount available for street construction made the difficult process of paring down the number of streets that need work to fit the amount of money available even harder than usual.

This year the infrastructure board started with more than $950,000 in street projects to consider and were only expecting to have to cut the total in half.

When faced with having the amount available slashed the board selected their $300,000 priority list of projects and then added two additional projects for $400,000 and $500,000 totals in the hope they can convince the council to restore the money that the voters approved for street construction.

The infrastructure board approved five priority projects to be completed totaling about $295,000.

One of the five priority projects, which had six residents in attendance to support its' selection, was north Tucker Street from Ashland Street to the end for a cost of $81,743.65.

This street runs along the east side of the Nevada Regional Technical School.

"I, for one, really appreciate this," Chris Emery told the board.

Emery said that she has had a day-care on that street for 22 years and it is too narrow for school buses to drive down.

"I've had kids hit there," she said.

The other four priority projects include $100,000 for South Spring Street starting at the Millington Road intersection and going south as far as that amount of money will reach; Cedar Street from Austin to Wight, $60,000; Tucker Street from Austin to Arch, $26,683.80 and Tucker Street from Austin to Walnut, $27,000.

If the council will approve $400,000 the board wants to do Lynn Street from Walnut to Hickory for $105,906.54.

With $500,000, the committee would want to add West Street from Austin to Wight for $95,140.03.