It is often easy to criticize any endeavor of government, local or otherwise. Conversely, good government projects and ideas often are relegated to the echelons of rarely read print buried in the local newspaper. Sometimes, when local, state, and federal governments get together on a good idea, even the best of intentions lead us down bizarre paths that rarely make sense and always cost more money.
Leaders in Yadkin County had a good idea. Working with a federal grant hunting enterprise, called Capital Link, they were able to unearth an opportunity to extend a water line from the wonderful town of Yadkinville to the thriving suburb (yes, I’m being funny here) of Courtney along Highway 601, about five miles away.
About $800,000 would be covered by the grant. The county would have a 50 percent match to extend water service into an area that has a school and a growing residential community.
The state DOT also had a good idea. DOT was already going to be working on improving Highway 601 and offered to add the water-line expansion into its contractor request. DOT even agreed to install the water line as it worked on the highway. The estimated net saving to the county would total $150,000 to $300,000, the highway would be expanded, and water service would be in place for years to come. Smiles were coming from all around.
But as with most fairy tales, trouble was brewing on the horizon. Shortly after the locals started informing state and federal officials what they planned to do, everything went into a tail spin. The Federal Economic Development Administration, which was providing the grant money, required that the county hire its own contractor. The state said it could not allow the county to build the road. So, the conundrum began.
The N.C. DOT was willing to oversee the project, but federal officials wouldn’t let them. Thus two levels of government put enough red tape in place to poison a great opportunity. The really bad news was that the local government wound up holding the bill. And it might have to cough up another $300,000 to pay for the additional contractor and work to be done on the water expansion.
Of course, other realistic issues were in place as well. By having two contractors working in close proximity, local leaders realized the potential for disagreements and delays in the project.
Local citizens began to think that the city-county leadership was trying to pull a fast one because of the increased cost projections. It is important to recall the project was fine until the federal officials said, “We don’t play well with others.”
As of this writing, the ADA still will not allow N.C. DOT to work on the project. Bids are going out and being reviewed that will ultimately cost the local taxpayers unnecessarily. One can only hope that the NC senatorial and congressional delegation can pay some careful attention to this issue because it will happen again. This type of opportunity is rare, but will become more commonplace as communities seek out companies like Capital Link to work on getting federal grants.
If local, state and federal resources work seamlessly then there is a great deal of efficiency and, ultimately, tax money to be saved. It would be a shame if Yadkin County ends up having to waste precious local tax money because of red tape. A project of this magnitude should become a model of how to do things rather than a warning to stay away. Citizens and leaders in Yadkin County are to be commended for trying to work the kinks out of situations like this. My hope is that they are successful. If they are not, it portends yet more difficulty in the future for cities and counties across the state. We cannot afford to let opportunities like this pass us by.