OTTUMWA — The Wapello County supervisors are likely to do something Tuesday that will put the county in a position it hasn’t been in for over a year: debtor.

The current supervisors pride themselves on keeping county debt low, and the county has actually been debt free since it paid off the mortgage on the Wapello Building in May 2007. But conditions on 87th Street and the bizarre weather over the past year led them to discuss issuing bonds at their July 29 meeting.

Supervisors said at that meeting the street has been an issue for some time. The county cobbled together some repairs, but never had enough money to complete the project.

The real problems began last winter when rain, snow, and ice turned the county’s gravel roads into impassable quagmires. That didn’t impact 87th Street, which is paved, to the same degree. But it created major headaches for the county as the weather helped break up some existing cracks on the road.

The weather didn’t help this spring or summer, either. The cumulative damage to 87th Street means the repairs are badly needed. The weather also undid in many areas what progress the county had made in getting gravel roads passable again.

By late July the situation was this: Wapello County needed to restore gravel roads, a process that will take into 2009. It also needed to repair 87th street or risk it devolving into something that more closely resembles a gravel road than one with pavement. Both goals require money.

Under the proposal up for discussion Tuesday, Wapello County will issue up to $200,000 in general obligation notes to cover the repair of 87th Street. The money, by removing 87th Street’s demands from the budget, indirectly frees funding for use on gravel roads.

The Iowa Department of Transportation’s weekly letting report gives a summary of the work on 87th Street. The project’s letting, anticipated on Aug. 12, includes patches and full-depth repairs, an asphalt overlay and binder, and painted markings on the road.

Supervisors said at their last meeting they believe this is a good time to borrow money for the project. Interest rates are relatively low. And the county’s budget, while tight, isn’t burdened by other debt.

A public hearing on the proposal will take place at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the courthouse board room as part of the supervisors’ regularly scheduled meeting.

Matt Milner can be reached at (641) 683-5359 or via e-mail at mwmilner@mchsi.com