Summary
County roads staff described recent paving on Albert Moore and Carmen Creek, ongoing bush hogging backlogs and equipment shortages, and proposed using a spray rig to target invasive Johnson grass while hiring additional staff and scheduling winter maintenance.
Henry County magistrates heard an update on road and maintenance work Tuesday that described completed paving on Albert Moore Road, repairs to a base failure on Carmen creek and continuing effort to catch up on roadside bush hogging. The county’s roads report said crews “laid 21 loads in 3 days” on Albert Moore and fixed a base failure on Carmen Creek so it could be paved. The report added the county is moving paving equipment next to Salt Creek and Buyer Road to patch a culvert installed last year. Officials said bush hogging remains behind schedule because two bush hogs broke and required parts that were delayed. “Both of our bush hogs went down. We waited on parts for about 2 weeks,” a roads staff member said. Staff and magistrates noted supply-chain delays and long equipment lead times slowed repairs and replacements. Magistrates and roads staff described heavy growth of Johnson grass this year and discussed adding a spray capability to target the invasive species. One magistrate said the county has discussed “maybe getting the plastic tank to go in the back of one of the five fifties, 400 gallon, 500 gallon tank, and get with Aaron to help us fix up a spray on it” to treat Johnson grass without killing desirable grasses. The court also discussed staffing and scheduling changes: the county has hired a full-time CDL driver and plans to add part‑time help for bush hogging so paving and vegetation work can proceed in parallel. Officials said they expect to keep bush hogging through the fall and winter to make further progress on heavily overgrown roads. The report flagged scale and cost pressures: one official said the department has spent about $10,000 on blacktop on Albert Moore Road “just to fill those spots up,” and estimated it would take years to fully address the backlog of roads. The update drew no formal vote; magistrates thanked staff for work in extreme heat and encouraged continued focus on balancing paving and vegetation control.
