Roads? No way: Commissioners are right -- roadwork is state's job

It might seem like an awful lot of fuss -- the squawking the Wayne County commissioners are making about the possibility that the state would even consider handing off road maintenance to the individual counties.

But what your leaders are doing this time is a little preventive maintenance.

The proposal that is probably unlikely to make any headway in the long run is that the costs associated with road maintenance -- and that means all roadwork really -- will be passed along to the counties themselves. And that means all the associated costs as well, such as equipment and personnel.

You know what that means, don't you?

County taxpayers would have to foot what could be a really significant bill.

It is pretty clear that North Carolina's leadership is not sure at all how to handle the projected budget shortfalls that seem to increase in intensity every week.

And there is also no question that everyone who has to run for re-election in the next couple of years is aware he or she better come up with an answer quick.

But making ill-conceived moves like this one -- without preparation or really thinking about what it will mean in terms of road quality uniformity across the state and costs to taxpayers -- is simply more political blather without real solutions.

The commissioners are right to get on their high horses and to say no at even the suggestion.

Because, let's face it, suggestions that go unchallenged have a way of becoming brand new laws.

Published in Editorials on April 13, 2009 10:35 AM