Jones County commissioners refine capital project allocations, set funding priorities

Jones County commissioners spent the Aug. 5 work session narrowing how to allocate upcoming capital project and excess-collection dollars, reaching verbal consensus on several funding changes but taking no formal vote.

County staff briefed the board on a proposed project list that combines debt service and new capital projects. County staff said the bond attorney had ruled that the county's courthouse document digitization project was ineligible for SPLA funding and that staff had removed it from the eligible list. County staff also said there is “about 2 more weeks” to finalize the list before the county must advertise the related intergovernmental and bond documents.

The discussion mattered because the allocations will determine which projects can be funded from excess collections and current capital funds, and because several projects are intended to serve District 4 and other parts of the county. Commissioners debated where to place money for roads, stormwater, sewer lift stations, an industrial park site grading effort and…