Business View - May 2015 173
be overwhelming.”
Niemeyer deemed the city infrastructure on a C grade
level, though the initiation of a municipal storm wa-
ter utility has that segment ticking upward from previ-
ously low levels while also providing relief to the city’s
general fund balance. State routes and arterial collec-
tor streets in Lima were labeled closer to a B grade
because of a more concentrated source of funding to
service them, while residential streets are also a C be-
cause their funds are less predictable.
“We’ve been able to get creative,” he said. “We’re try-
ing to work with our legislators – both state and feder-
al – to try to figure a way to boost those funds coming
in. It’s continually catching up with us. We should be
resurfacing 10 percent of our streets every year, and
we’re probably doing more like 3 percent, 4 percent
or something like that. So, unless you have a stellar
maintenance program, it’s eventually going to catch
up with you by mathematics alone.”
INFRASTRUCTURE
