State legislators present LARP check for Elliott County roads; court outlines three prioritized projects

Sen. Phillip Wheeler and Rep. Richard White visited Elliott County’s special fiscal court on May 21 to present state road funding and urge continued local advocacy to keep projects in the state’s six-year plan. The legislators said the county received notable Local Assistance Road Program (LARP) support this budget cycle.

“Part of this is symbolic of what’s on its way,” Representative Richard White said as he described the General Assembly’s tight budget and the decision to prioritize some counties’ road work. Sen. Wheeler added that the legislature tried to push more road money into counties that demonstrated need and submitted complete project documentation.

County officials described how the $882,000 allocation requested by the fiscal court will be divided. Judge Curry (speaking for the fiscal court) said about $260,000 will go to Open Fork Road for new tile installation to stabilize the base; Big Stone Road will receive funds for substantial pothole repairs and localized tile work; and Devil’s Fork — a 4.24-mile route — is budgeted for approximately $500,000 to replace failing drainage tile and stabilize the corridor.

“Devil’s Fork is 4.24 miles…we’re going to try to replace those tile and put tile in hopefully saved for the next 25–30 years,” Judge Curry said when describing the scope and intended lifespan of the repairs.

Officials noted LARP requires a local match and that Elliott County must provide 10% of project costs. The court discussed options for identifying the local share and said it would use general-fund dollars or budget adjustments as required to meet the match obligation.

The legislators and court members also emphasized the political process behind large road projects, noting the importance of keeping projects in the six-year plan and repeatedly advocating in Frankfort to secure funding. The visit included recognition of past efforts that secured additional road money for the county.

The fiscal court did not take any additional formal action specific to project authorization during the presentation; the discussion served as explanation of the funding source, project priorities and the local-match requirement. The court later continued regular agenda business, including budget readings and other votes.

The next procedural steps are local project scoping and engineering work followed by formal budgeting to identify the county’s 10% match; officials said schedule details were not yet final.