Perry County’s Public Infrastructure Needs: $100.2 Million

Tennessee needs at least $62.9 billion of public infrastructure improvements during the five-year period of July 2021 through June 2026, according to a new report released by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR).

Public infrastructure improvements for Perry County total $100.2 million, an increase of $4.7 million (5.0%) since last year’s report.

The current report, which is based on information provided by state and local officials, shows an increase of $1.2 billion in the entire state’s infrastructure needs (2.0%) from the January 2022 report.

Statewide, the top three areas of need are:

–Transportation at $34.7 billion;

–Post-secondary education at $5.6 billion;

–School renovations at $5.5 billion.

Officials report that Perry County’s top three areas of need are:

–Transportation at $95.7 million;

–School renovations and replacements at $3.4 million;

–Law enforcement at $985,000.

The county’s total estimated cost for new or improved infrastructure is $11,831 per capita, compared with $9,012 statewide per capita.

Perry County’s estimated transportation needs per capita amount to $11,296, higher than the $4,979 per capita reported statewide.

Perry County reported school renovations and replacements infrastructure needs of $405 per capita, higher than the statewide average of $782 per capita.

As for law enforcement infrastructure needs, Perry County reported $116 per capita, which is lower than the statewide average of $300 per capita.

Less than a third of the money needed to meet Tennessee’s public infrastructure needs has been identified.

Statewide, officials are confident that $15.4 billion (32.4%) will be available for the $47.6 billion in needs for which funding information is collected in this year’s report.

About $65.2 million (68.2%) of the $95.7 million total funding needed to meet Perry County’s infrastructure needs has been identified.

Funding information for needed improvements at existing schools and for needs reported in state agencies’ capital budget requests is not collected in the inventory.

Among Tennessee’s 95 counties, Perry County ranked:

–88th in total population (8,472);

–71st in population change between 2000 and 2021 (828);

–50th in population growth rate since 2000 (10.8%);

–95th in …………..

…………….FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE READ 3.29.23 ISSUE OF THE REVIEW………..