BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Clay County Commissioner Betsy Condon said that even though the county’s road improvement budget has increased by 55% since she took office, more funding is needed to keep county roads in their current condition.
Betsy Condon told a joint meeting of the Lake Region Sheriff’s Net and the Chamber of Commerce’s Lake Region Prosperity Partners at Keystone’s First Baptist Church on April 25 that the county’s road maintenance budget has increased from $4.5 million to $7 million. However, she added that an appropriation of $11 million a year is needed to maintain county roads at their current levels.
The Crystal Lake resident added that 70% of the county’s dirt roads lie within her western Clay County district, which covers Melrose, Keystone Heights, Clay Hill, Maxville, and Middleburg. Another 20% is in Commissioner Kristen Burke’s Lake Asbury-Green Cove Springs district.
Condon said the biggest obstacle to more funding for roads is political.
“It takes three votes to pass something (on the county commission),” Condon said. “Well, if we have 70% of the dirt roads, and almost all the rest of the dirt roads are in Commissioner Burke’s district, we need a friend, right?” Because if we’re going to improve anything on dirt roads, we need to find a third commissioner to come our way.”
Condon pointed out that the remaining three commissioners represent suburban districts in Oakleaf, Orange Park, and Fleming Island, areas with few dirt roads.
