🍉 Over $1M in Street Upgrades Coming!
Hello, Water Valley neighbors! We have some monumental news that is going to make your daily commute smoother, your neighborhoods safer, and our town a true trailblazer in the state of Mississippi.
At our July 1st meeting, the City Council officially greenlit a massive street improvements contract to Falcon Construction for a low base bid of $1,012,989.50. This major project is bond-funded and supercharged by a very special state revenue stream—meaning your hard-earned dollars are going right back into the ground where they belong.
Not only is this project a massive financial win, but Water Valley is also making history with how we are executing it.
💰 Powered by Progress: How the Internet Sales Tax is Rebuilding Water Valley
A million-dollar investment is a big deal for a town of our size, and we are incredibly proud to share how this is being made affordable. A vital piece of the financial backbone for this project comes directly from the Mississippi Infrastructure Modernization Act, frequently known as the state’s Internet Sales Tax law.
Passed during a historic special legislative session, this law changed the game by requiring out-of-state online retailers to collect and remit state use taxes on internet purchases. Crucially, the law mandates a strict diversion formula: 15% of these internet tax revenues are sent straight back to local municipalities, and another 15% go to counties.
Here is why this matters to you:
- Strictly for Upgrades: By law, these diverted funds cannot lapse into a general state fund. They must be spent strictly on the repair, maintenance, and reconstruction of local roads, bridges, streets, or water/sewer systems.
- Mayor Reynolds’ Legislative Legacy: Before taking office as our Mayor, Tommy Reynolds proudly supported and voted for this infrastructure act during his 44 distinguished years in the Mississippi State Legislature. He fought for this legislation because he knew it would create a level playing field for our local brick-and-mortar small businesses while securing a dedicated, permanent revenue stream for local hometown roads. Today, as your Mayor, he is thrilled to put those very same digital dollars to work right here on our physical streets!
🚀 A Mississippi First: Mapping Our Streets with LiDAR!
Because we are utilizing these vital public funds, we want to make sure every single penny is spent with maximum efficiency. That is why Water Valley is proud to be the very first municipality in the state of Mississippi to utilize advanced LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology to map out our entire street system before the pavers even arrive!
Instead of old-school, manual visual inspections where crews have to guess how much asphalt is needed or miss hidden structural flaws, we are letting lasers do the heavy lifting. Our city engineer is moving quickly to direct Falcon Construction to begin using this high-tech data immediately so we can get ahead of the bad weather season.
🧠 How Does LiDAR Street Mapping Work? (An Easy Overview)
If you see a specialized vehicle driving through town equipped with unique pods and sensors on the roof, you’re looking at a Mobile LiDAR Mapping System. Here is a quick breakdown of how this modern technology changes the game for road repair:
- Laser Speed Scanning: The system fires millions of harmless laser pulses per second toward the pavement while driving at normal highway speeds.
- Creating a “3D Digital Twin”: By measuring exactly how long it takes for each laser beam to bounce back, a powerful onboard computer calculates the distance down to the millimeter. This creates an incredibly detailed, 3D point-cloud map of every road, curb, and dip in town.
- X-Ray Vision for Road Damage: Advanced software automatically color-codes the streets based on exact damage severity. It detects microscopic alligator cracking, hidden potholes, deep ruts, and slope issues that the human eye simply cannot see.
📊 Why This Matters for Water Valley Taxpayers:
- Zero Guesswork: The technology tells us exactly how much resurfacing material is needed and where. This prevents contractors from over-ordering asphalt, saving our town thousands of dollars in overrun costs.
- Perfect Paving Pre-Planning: It highlights foundation weaknesses under the asphalt before paving starts. This means when we fix a road, it stays fixed, breaking those frustrating, costly “damage repair cycles.”
- No Traffic Disruption: Traditional surveying requires closing lanes and putting crews in harm’s way. LiDAR scans are done seamlessly at regular driving speeds without interrupting your day.
📋 What’s Next?
Our team is finalizing the paperwork, and the engineer is giving Falcon Construction the official green light to deploy. We are thrilled to bring this level of cutting-edge transparency, fiscal responsibility, and technological efficiency to our infrastructure. Our historic town may be deeply rooted in tradition, but we are absolutely stepping into the future when it comes to taking care of our citizens.
Thank you, Water Valley, for your support, your patience as work begins, and your shared pride in our community. Big, smooth changes are on the horizon!
Send us a message at [email protected] and let us know what street you’re most excited to see get a high-tech facelift, or leave a 🍉 on our socials to celebrate this Mississippi-first milestone with us!
Gratefully yours,
The Reynolds Report Team
#WaterValleyMS #TheReynoldsReport #LiDARInnovation #InternetSalesTaxAtWork #CommunityFirst #SmoothRoadsAhead