KILLEEN, Texas — Killeen drivers have noticed for a long time that streets like Watercrest, Rancier and Gilmer are in need of repair. In December 2018, the Killeen City Council narrowly passed a street maintenance fee which was estimated to bring in $1.6 million each year for street maintenance.
So why aren't repairs on the way for some of the city's worst streets? It turns out repairing poor streets first is more expensive, and replacing streets altogether is something the city can't afford.
"It's much cheaper to maintain a road early in it's life." Public Works Director Danielle Singh said in a city council meeting back in October. "So you won't necessarily see us addressing the worst roadways first. You'll see us trying to maximize those dollars and avoid having more maintenance down the road by neglecting it upfront."
The City of Killeen currently has an annual budget of $1.6 Million for street maintenance. The cost of fixing all of the city's streets is currently well beyond that at $41.7 Million.
Killeen won't be addressing roads that need to be replaced at all. Parts of Gilmer Street and Watercrest Street are in such poor condition that the roads need to be reconstructed completely. That's far more expensive than doing maintenance. The City of Killeen does not have cost estimates for replacing specific streets, but City Manager Kent Cagle said any project would require the city get money elsewhere.
"It's going to require a debt issue, and then it would have to be very large to get much done." Cagle said. "To get two or three streets reconstructed it's going to push the limits of a debt issue that anyone would want to approve."
The Killeen City Council received a briefing from staff on local road conditions in an October 20 council meeting. The city had previously hired Transmap Corporation to do a study of city roads earlier in the year. No action was required from the council at that time but Mayor Jose Segarra said the council would need to make tough choices to find a solution.
"We need either a debt issue or figure out a way to come up with certain fees and that's the challenge to the council," Segarra said. "The staff knows what we got to do but when it comes to funding it comes back to the council and you have to make tough choices."
The issue will now need to be tacked by several brand new councilmembers coming to the table after the November 3 election.
