Anderson County Commissioners recently cut the county’s road maintenance force by one driver and one grader machine in order to reduce costs, dropping the grader crew from 8 to 7 and adding miles onto those 7 new grader districts. Commission Chairman and First District Commissioner Les McGhee, brought the proposal after weeks of discussions with County Road Supervisor Ethan Lickteig on what seemed like constant equipment breakdowns and costs to repair and replace expensive road maintenance equipment.
During the commissioners’ weekly Road Department Review. Mcgee says at $368,000 for a new machine plus sitting somebody in the seat, it was getting hard. Mcgee says he believes Anderson County Roads are better than surrounding counties, but costs for equipment and problems in staffing drivers were overwhelming. The commission did approved a $239,000 increase for the road department in the 2025 budget, to a record $3.9 million total spending outlay, almost a 30% increase since 2021 and nearly 25% of the county’s $15 million budget for next year.
