$844,000 comes to cities from Powell Bill allocation
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 12, 2009 1:54 PM
Municipalities in Wayne County have received more than $844,000 in state Powell Bill funds and a total allocation of more than $1 million from the state.
The funding comes from revenues generated by the state gas tax and other highway user fees. This year's statewide funding is down $14 million from 2008, primarily because of the downturn in economic conditions across the state, state officials said.
Powell Fund monies are generated by the gas tax.
Also, the state collects a 3 percent highway use tax on vehicles in lieu of a state sales tax for its Highway Trust Fund. The tax is assessed each time a title is transferred.
The Powell Bill money is allocated annually using a formula set by the General Assembly. The formula bases 75 percent of the awarded funding on population and the remaining 25 percent on the number of city-owned street miles in each municipality.
Each community determines how to spend its money, as long as it is on qualified projects.
Permitted uses include helping to pay for repairs, maintenance and construction, including widening and adding sidewalks on the streets maintained by the municipalities.
The funds also may be used for planning, construction, and maintenance of bikeways along public streets and highways.
The local allocations are:
* Eureka: population, 236; streets, 1.26 miles; Powell Bill, $4,396.18; HTF $2,139; total, $6,535.18
* Fremont: population, 1,408; streets, 11.29 miles; Powell Bill, $30,087.93; HTF, $14,639.51; total $44,727.44
* Goldsboro: population, 38,554; streets, 169.61 miles; Powell Bill, $681,113.90; HTF, $331,401.10; total, $1,012,515.
* Mount Olive: population, 4,578; streets, 26.66 miles; Powell Bill, $87,547.88; HTF, $42,597.08; total, $130,144.96.
* Pikeville: population, 703; streets, 5.48 miles; Powell Bill, $14,861.99; HTF, $7,231,21; total, $22,093.20.
* Seven Springs: population, 88; streets, 1.45 miles; Powell Bill, $2,642.06; HTF, $1,285.52; total, $3,927.58.
* Walnut Creek: population, 912; streets, 11.21 miles; Powell Bill, $23,475.95; HTF, $11,422.40; total, $34,898.35
Allocations in Duplin County include:
* Calypso: population, 446; streets, 5.81 miles; Powell Bill, $11,816.06; HTF, $5,749.19; total, $17,565.25
* Faison: population, 780; streets, 8.21 miles; Powell Bill, $18,668.80; HTF, $9,083.45; total;, $27,752.25.
Statewide nearly $132 million was distributed to 507 municipalities.
Charlotte received the highest amount at $17.3 million. That was based on its estimated population of 700,464 and its 2,368 miles of city-maintained streets. It was followed by Raleigh ($9 million), Greensboro ($6.7 million), Winston-Salem ($6 million) and Durham ($5.5 million). In all, 22 cities received at least $1 million to assist with their transportation projects.
The fund is named for Junius K. Powell, a former state senator and mayor of Whiteville, whose name led a list of legislators sponsoring a 1951 bill to help the state's cities with urban road problems. The first allocation of Powell Bill funds was in 1951 for $4.5 million and was distributed to 386 municipalities.