Stemming from this month’s regular council meeting, both the Milton mayor and council members offer a difference in opinion regarding on which city roads need to be repaired and which route the Florida Department of Transportation should go about alleviating traffic congestion within city limits.
With one ‘nay’ vote, the council passed a motion to the city’s finance committee to provide the council with an amount of funding towards the repair of Alabama and Dixon streets in next month’s executive committee meeting.
During the meeting, Council member Jimmy Messick made a motion to direct the city’s finance committee to provide the council with an amount of funding in order to be used on repairing both Alabama and Dixon Streets. The amount would be presented before the council executive committee meeting in June. Although the motion passed, it was met with one nay vote from council member Alan Lowery. Since the vote was not unanimous, the motion appeared before the council again on Tuesday.
Lowery said other city streets should be considered for paving and repairing.
“I would like to say, I have a little problem with Dixon Street, when there are other streets in the city that are in worse shape,” Lowery said.
Mayor Wesley Meiss agreed.
“For (Messick) to say in his motion that it should be for Alabama and Dixon (streets), when we haven’t discussed that as a council; I think that is out of order,” Meiss said.
Meiss suggested the motion still go to the finance committee in finding an amount of funding and the council should further discuss which streets to repair first.
Like in the executive committee meeting, Messick said the topic was already discussed by the council in previous meetings.
“We have had meetings with the executive committee, the workshop and the other meetings that the whole council has been involved and the two that have been identified by this group was Alabama and Dixon,” Messick said. “If the council wants to vote ‘no’ on this and then change it then that is fine, but my motion remains as it is.”
Council member Mary Ellen Johnson agreed with Messick’s assessment.
“To my recollection, we have discussed it in the various sessions, workshops and executive committee meetings,” Johnson said. “We have to my knowledge narrowed it down to Alabama Street, as a matter of fact, I think we even quantified in terms of the amount of traffic… it would certainly be an appropriate move to look at Dixon, since its very close in proximity.”
Council member Patsy Lunsford said Dixon should be a top priority due to it being one of the main access roads to the city hall building.
“When people come to Milton and they see our beautiful city hall and the money that we spent on it,” Lunsford said. “Then we have this street out here that looks like going to the gully; I, for one, think Dixon Street ought to look good.”
Lowery voted against the motion while the remaining council members voted for it. Council members R.L Lewis and Marilyn Jones were not present to vote.
Lowery was also the lone council member to vote against sending a letter to the FDOT voicing the city’s support in widening U.S. Highway 90 through downtown Milton. Meiss agreed by stating his previous stance in waiting until the FDOT’s PD &E study is completed.
Meiss also expressed his concerns on preserving the downtown area.
“I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the people of Milton, I don’t think it’s in the best interest of historic preservation,” Meiss said. “I don’t think it’s what the people want, I think it’s totally political to four lane the downtown Milton corridor.”
Messick said he respected the mayor’s position on the topic, but was unwilling to change his motion.
Johnson said the submitted letter would only give this city’s stance on the issue and would not impact the FDOT’s decision on which option to implement.
“This in one body, we have a whole lot of people, who need to speak up and speak out,” Johnson said. “This is our input, they also have a chance to give their input.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Mayor, council offer differing views on road repairs and PD & E Study