Lauderdale County supervisors approve $3.7M paving package

Lauderdale County supervisors on Monday voted to approve a paving package covering more than 17 miles of roads throughout all five districts.

The project, totaling more than $3.7 million, includes portions of Allen Swamp Road, Mt. Carmel Road, Crescent Lake Road, Fisher Road, Vimville Causeyville Road and Russell Mt. Gilead Road. Funding for the project will come from use tax.

Road Manager and County Engineer Rush Mayatt said use tax funds can only be spent on roads on the state aid and federal aid networks. From there, it was a matter of prioritizing which roads were most in need of attention.

APAC, which was awarded a term bid for paving earlier this year, will be performing the work. Mayatt said he expects the contractor will start work in October with the work completed by the end of the year.

While paving will not require closing roads entirely, it will demand one-lane traffic in some places. Drivers are urged to use caution when workers are in the area, pay attention to signage and be ready for possible delays.

The paving comes as Lauderdale County looks for ways to improve infrastructure without taking on additional debt. Traditionally, the Board of Supervisors has issued a $10 million bond at the beginning of each term for paving projects; however, the current board opted not to follow that path.

The Fiscal Year 2027 budget adopted by the board Monday marks the third straight year of declining debt payments for the county as supervisors work to keep the county operating within its means.

In other business, the Board of Supervisors approved two grants for the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department totaling more than $314,000.

Sheriff Ward Calhoun said a $300,000 LEO grant from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety Program can be used to get a second K-9 officer for the department, as well as two vehicles for the Drug Task Force. The grant is a 50/50 match, he said, so the county would be responsible for coming up with half the money, around $150,000.

The department is also on track to receive an FY22 Project Safe Neighborhood grant for approximately $17,000, Calhoun said. The funds will be used to purchase undercover equipment for the Drug Task Force.

Lauderdale County supervisors approve $3.7M paving package

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