Former McComb city administrator Quordiniah Lockley told the city board Tuesday that the plan to save up money over years to tackle badly needed street repairs is flawed, and he wants officials to acknowledge it.
Lockley, in a statement, outlined his opinion and challenged Mayor Whitney Rawlings and selectmen to allow citizens to make a decision about streets through a bond vote.
“The street pavement plan adopted by the prior board and carried over with this board is and was flawed and (I’m asking) you to acknowledge it,” he said.
Lockley said the plan was based on the presumption that the city would eventually have a healthy economy, allowing the city to bankroll $250,000 per year in order to spend $1 million on overlays by the fourth year.
“The plan was based on a healthy economy and an increase in the city revenues,” Lockley said, adding that the city’s revenues “have been flat since the recession.”
Lockley said few cities are able to finance street repairs through their general funds, and McComb is no different.
“The streets are deplorable. Citizens, including myself, are dodging certain streets because of their conditions,” Lockley said.
The mayor’s only response to Lockley’s criticism was that he and the selectmen are doing the best with what they have.
“The board is managing the needs of the city as efficiently and effectively as possible with the resources we have available,” Rawlings said.
Lockley noted that while Rawlings and others have opposed long-term borrowing as a solution to fund street repairs, arguing that it makes no sense to finance the work over 20 years when the repairs will only last 10.
But Lockley took issue with the fact that the city is using part of a recent $2 million bond issue to fund the improvements to two roads and intersections.
“You have stated that you could not support borrowing money that would take 20 years to pay off when the life of the streets would be approximately 10 years,” Lockley said. “You...and this board...agreed to issue a $2 million bond with a portion going to improve Parklane Road.
“Mayor and board, I have lived on Kentucky Avenue for 15 years and it has not been paved within those 15 years. If you can borrow money to fix one street, why not all?”
Lockley asked the board to present the street repair issue in the form of a referendum.
“Stop trying to speak for the citizens of McComb,” Lockley said. “Let the citizens speak for themselves. Place this issue on a ballot as a referendum and then let the citizens speak.”
Lockley, who was fired by the board earlier this year around perceived disagreements over an investigation into embezzlement in the municipal court system, has appeared before the board sporadically since his dismissal to give his insights and criticisms.
