From the Anderson Herald-Bulletin:
It’s a new year, and towns and agencies around Madison County are now working on how to use the funds disbursed from the recent food and beverage tax.
Some officials have been waiting years to implement their plans.
Jack Brown, the treasurer of the town of Frankton, said that he has boxes of plans to enhance Sigler Street dating back to the early 1990s. The town finally has the resources to get it done after Brown brokered a deal to get $150,000 from the food and beverage tax.
The Madison County Council met for the final time Dec. 27 to work out where $987,072 from the tax funds would be apportioned around the county. Brown gave a presentation during the meeting.
Outgoing Councilman Mike Gaskill said that after scoring all the projects under consideration by the council, Frankton’s was rated highest.
“We’ve had this project on the main corridor planned for years,” Brown said.
The project includes improvements to sidewalks, new street lighting, relocating utilities underground and new landscaping.
“We’re bringing everything up to date,” Brown said.
Elwood received $184,000, the largest allotment. Mayor Ron Arnold said the funds will be split between two projects, with $164,000 going toward revitalization of the downtown area and $20,000 going toward new cleaning equipment for the city pool.
While Elwood received the largest chunk, the funds can only be used on what they were requested for, Arnold said.
“You can’t say you wanted money for one thing and spend it on something else,” Arnold said. “They’re strict about that.”
Towns like Lapel also split their allotment into two or more projects. The council appropriated $80,000 for Lapel’s proposed water park and an additional $5,000 for sidewalk improvements.
The splash pad is expected to provide summer entertainment for residents and bring money in to local businesses, said Lapel treasurer Tom Tudor. He said the sidewalk money will help the city build a walkway for high school students who need to walk on the street to get to school.
“We were really pleased to get any money. We appreciate it,” Tudor said.
Alexandria received $5,000 to help with efforts to renovate an old police building into a community center. Mayor Jack Woods said the center will house senior guild meetings and various community parties. The amount is less than the $25,000 requested by the city, but Woods said he recognizes that every entity in Madison County needs money, and he’s happy with what he got.
“We’ll use whatever we can get,” Woods said.
Transportation for Rural Areas of Madison County (TRAM), also received less than requested. Initially hoping for $100,000, TRAM received $20,000.
TRAM’s money will go toward covering operating expenses, Madison County Council of Governments Executive Director Jerry Bridges said. He said TRAM is an especially important service for senior citizens needing transportation from rural areas.
Bridges said he was not discouraged by the reduction in money, and there are other avenues the agency can take to shore up funds they need.
“We’ll have to request more from different areas,” Bridges said.
http://heraldbulletin.com/local/x503817773/Towns-agencies-allocate-Food-and-Beverage-Tax-funds
