Sumter County committee directs staff to draft policy for improving private dirt roads

Sumter County’s Public Works Committee on Sept. 10 directed the county administrator to develop policies and procedures for evaluating and, where appropriate, accepting private dirt roads into the county road system.

The motion, unanimously carried in committee and later forwarded to council, follows committee discussion about emergency responders’ ability to access private roads and a proposed framework from Councilman Carlton B. Washington that would prioritize roads with safety or access concerns.

Why it matters: committee members said the changes could improve EMS, fire and law enforcement access on roads that currently impede emergency services, but acknowledged the program would be limited by funding and require clear selection criteria.

The committee’s notes record Washington describing a multi-part framework staff should study, including assessing the worst roads first and giving priority to roads that serve at least five homeowners (with an exception for roads established 50 years or more that have as few as three residents). Washington told the committee the process should: grade roads against objective criteria; require agreement from all property owners on a road before improvements begin; disallow renters from signing agreements; and develop different grading levels depending on road condition and needs. He said staff should return with a recommended grading scale and funding analysis.

Administrator Gary Mixon told the committee staff would compile financial information, develop selection criteria, produce a priority list of recommended roads and provide a full report back to the Public Works and Solid Waste Committee for review.

Action and next steps: the committee voted to forward the recommendations to council for approval (motion by Councilman Carlton B. Washington; second by Councilman Eugene R. Baten). Council previously approved a related direction that the county administrator develop policies and procedures for consideration by the committee; the vote on that earlier direction was unanimous.

Financial and scope details were not specified at the meeting. Committee members acknowledged the project could be slow because paving and associated drainage work are costly and that the number of miles the county could accept will depend on available funding. The administrator’s forthcoming report is expected to include cost estimates, recommended criteria for selection and a prioritized list for committee consideration.

Community context: committee discussion emphasized resident collaboration—the notes state all property owners on a particular road must agree before improvements are carried out and staff or council will not be responsible for gathering signatures. The framework is intended to focus limited county resources on roads where emergency access is most compromised.

The committee did not set a timeline for the administrator’s report. Council will consider the staff recommendations when the committee presents them to the full board.