Taylor looking for ways to fund street repairs
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Long-time Taylor residents have had a rough ride—the town known for its bumpy, coarse streets.
A recent street inventory found about 60 percent of Taylor streets in poor condition
Assistant City Manager Jeff Straub says it's been a problem for a long time.
"Some not having been built properly, decades and decades ago, and others, of course, just because of time and lack of maintenance," Straub said. "Just patching them is not going to be enough to restore them and make them serviceable into the future. They must be replaced."
While everyone agrees that something needs to be done, the problem is how to pay for it. State and federal funds are scarce, so city council is considering raising Ad Valorem taxes or creating a road maintenance utility.
Raising taxes is never popular, but some think good streets are worth paying for.
"It's not any fun riding on them and I don't think it brings people into Taylor," resident Dorothy Weber said.
City leaders are considering all their options. No decisions have been made, but they expect to have a plan in place by next year.
"It would be so good to have the streets fixed up,” Taylor resident Jeanette Brinkmeyer said. “I'd be willing to pay."