The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.

Did you know that a tax will be on the Feb 3 ballot? That’s right, we get to vote on renewal of the ½ cent county bridge tax – with a twist. If reauthorized, the tax will be used for both bridges and county roads. County roads only include those roads that are outside our various cities and not part of the state system; the county isn’t responsible for the condition of state highways like MO-13 or DD.

As a bridge tax, the money collected over the years has been generally well-spent. Most of our old steel bridges over the major creeks have been replaced, along with a lot of the smaller bridges. We’ve lost a bit of nostalgia, but gravel roads are most definitely safer. While there are still a lot of culverts and small bridges that could be upgraded, the need is not as imminent as when the tax was first passed. That’s why the County Commission has decided to change the nature of the tax to include roads as well as bridges.

As is typical with off-election tax measures these days, the County Commission has chosen a low key approach to informing us about the tax and what it will be used for. While absentee ballots are already available for voting, nobody has said a word about the issue. I know there are needs, but I’d like to know specifically how the county will use the money. Will the roads portion be a supplement to the amount currently allocated from the county general fund or will that general fund money be diverted to another use? Will it be used to increase the pace of the paving program? Is the cost of maintaining existing paved roads in line with initial estimates or do those roads require more funds?

Don’t try to find more information at the County’s website, www.jococourthouse.com; it hasn’t been updated since November.