Piedmont To Vote On $28 Tax Hike For Road Improvements

Piedmont voters will decide on a $28 tax for road improvements Tuesday.

The city's mayor, Kurt Mayabb, said this is something that Piedmont desperately needs.

In reality, Mayor Mayabb said the city really needs tens of millions of dollars to fix their roads. City officials are hoping this tax will jump-start that process. 

Currently, residents pay an extra $10 on their utility bills for roads. This new tax, if approved, would add an additional $28. 

It was something the council was talking about last year, but they wanted to put it up for a vote. Ultimately COVID hit and the process has taken longer than expected. But Piedmont voters will see the potential tax on their ballot, January 12.

News 9 asked Mayor Mayabb what he would tell people on the fence. He said if they can afford the tax, vote for it.  But he said he's worried about his residents and knows families are struggling financially because of the pandemic.

"We need help to get these roads back and everyone understands that," said Mayor Mayabb. "But at the same time, we need $28 from every household. If you don't have it how can you make them vote for it."

The mayor says they already have a roads committee for the city. Between the committee and the council, they have 10 roads they want to work on in the next five years. 

The mayor said if the tax isn't passed, they will just have to work with that they've got. 

"We're going to work with the budget that we have and try to fix our infrastructure with what we have coming," said Mayor Mayabb. "The citizens are just going to have to understand that this is going to affect the progress."