WHITNEY, Texas (KXXV) — Joann Wescott has lived in Whitney for two years, and since then, she said the county has worked hard to raise money to purchase gravel to help fix the roads. But recent thefts caused her to reach out to the county, and 25 News.
- Large piles of gravel were placed near Elmwood Road and Harland Drive by Hill County for road repairs
- One resident tells 25 News she's witnessed people steal the gravel from her street
- The Hill County Roads and Bridges Department said when people steal things like gravel, they're actually stealing from taxpayers
Watch the full story here:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"We've had a lot of problems with holes in the neighborhood," said Joann Wescott, a Whitney resident. "We've had some neighbors here down the road that have taken gravel, and the gravel has cost the county a lot of money."
She reached out to 25 News because Hill County has been working for years to get the money to fix the road.
"It still needs a little more gravel in it that's the gravel and different sizes of stones and rocks," said Wescott.
Wescott was the first to reach out to 25 News, looking for answers about the gravel stolen from the roadside off of Elmwood Road and Harland Drive.
The Hill County Roads and Bridges Department said when people steal things like gravel, they're actually stealing from taxpayers. That's because the gravel is paid for by using money collected from taxpayers in all four precincts in the county.
Plus, the tax rate is so low that the department said it can take a long time — if not years — to get the money to purchase gravel.
The department said it costs the county $8.50 a ton to get gravel for a road like Elmwood Road.
But that doesn't include other costs like a driver, fuel, and truck costs.
Wescott wants our neighbors to know that this hurts everyone
"When they make cars go that way, people get hurt. What they out here was needed, and you come around the corner and you go over here and you see people taking gravel, and there's still holes that need to be evened out," said Wescott.
