A bill has been filed by a local legislator that could bring sweeping changes to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, namely abolishing the elected Mississippi Transportation Commission.
State Rep. Gary Chism, R-Columbus, is sponsoring a bill that he says will take the politics out of transportation issues, while providing more legislative oversight.
Chism told the SDN on Monday that Mississippi is the only state that elects a transportation commission, but he wants it abolished and power to appoint the executive director of MDOT transferred to the governor's office.
"That is probably the single biggest job the Transportation Commission does is find the executive director of MDOT … they really are in a political position and we don't think it needs to be political," Chism said.
MDOT Executive Director Melinda McGrath said in a statement to the SDN that the commission is the voice of the citizens that elected them to represent their interests in transportation needs for their communities.
“The Commissioners are valuable to the people of this state, because they live in the areas they represent,” McGrath said. “They answer calls and respond to questions and concerns from citizens daily to address the state’s transportation needs.”
The other important component of Chism's bill would open the door for increased legislative oversight, such as having a say in matters related to the transportation budget.
Chism said Mississippi and Rhode Island are the only two states that do not have legislative oversight related to transportation.
"We do not control one single dollar of the transportation budget and what comes from the feds goes straight to MDOT and what comes from the fees and the gas tax goes straight to MDOT," Chism said. "We have no say on how the money is spent."
McGrath responded by saying the commission holds MDOT accountable for how the agency spends taxpayer dollars and ensures transparency is provided to the taxpayers on how funds are spent.
"As the Executive Director, I cannot sign anything without approval from the Commission through a board action," McGrath said.
McGrath then said the legislature provides oversight to MDOT through the laws in Mississippi Code, the bills they pass and the budget they appropriate to fund transportation for the state.
“The Legislature has a check and balance system in place to provide additional oversight and ensure MDOT is following state and federal laws. We are one of the most heavily audited agencies, if not the most audited agency, in the state.”
Chism also said the legislature has been asked by MDOT to raise taxes, despite policymakers in Jackson having no input on how the additional funds generated would be spent.
In a state looking to improve its business climate, Chism said the governor would be responsible for highways, which could prove more appealing to businesses with infrastructure concerns.
Chism said business and industries could benefit, because the governor has previously had to go to MDOT to ask for things like new roads, or feeder roads for potential business sites. But if the bill passes and is signed into law, the governor would be in charge of the executive director and direct them to do the engineering and channel funds to improve infrastructure for a building or industrial site.
"We think it is time to change to the governor appointing the executive director of MDOT with the consent of the senate," Chism said. "The engineers seem to run each of the three districts and really maybe other than approving bids and promoting highways, I think that a single executive director could handle all those functions."
The bill has been assigned to the House Transportation Committee and is awaiting a decision.