Jury approves flexibility to reallocate 2026 road funds, debating delay to Bethlehem Road

The DeSoto Parish police jury authorized a resolution giving the president and treasurer flexibility to reallocate funds within the adopted 2026 capital budget for the parish five-year road program to ensure projects can be placed under contract by the June deadline for state HP2 and capital-outlay spending.

Staff said the reallocation would not add new projects but would reprioritize existing ones so money could be spent or put under contract in time to preserve eligibility for future state funds. They recommended temporarily moving funds from Bethlehem Road — which has unresolved right-of-way and utility conflicts and likely cannot be bid quickly — to Linwood and White Springs roads, which have right-of-way in hand and fewer utility issues. Staff warned that asphalt prices and bid variability mean the treasurer needs authority to move remaining funds between projects to ensure contracts are executed before grant deadlines.

Several jurors objected to delaying Bethlehem Road, describing it as a long-standing local priority and expressing concern about residents who have waited years for repairs. Staff said the parish intends to complete Bethlehem when right-of-way issues are resolved and noted that the jury could allocate local funds if necessary. Jurors approved the reallocation authority and asked staff to pursue design and contracting for projects that can be advanced quickly to demonstrate the parish’s ability to use allocated funds.