Tahlequah Street Commissioner Mike Corn has a habit of driving the streets daily and making notes about areas that need attention.

During an interview Thursday morning with the Daily Press, Corn spent a good amount of time driving around, pointing out improvements the department has made and its current projects.

But he mostly pointed out things he’d like to see improved.

“We just don’t have the manpower, or the money,” said Corn. “The city does the best it can, but the cost of materials has grown by 30 percent over the past four years, and the budget hasn’t. We’ve got streets built to handle traffic of the 1950s and ‘60s, but not to handle the growth we’ve seen.”

A recent annexation project the city has undertaken has prompted complaints from local residents, who would like to see money spent on infrastructure – particularly streets and sidewalks – before expanding the city’s borders.

According to budget figures provided by Corn, the amount allotted for sidewalks, drainage, street resurfacing and “capital streets” – complete makeovers of streets, including drainage and sidewalks – totals $494,632.

The neighboring city of Wagoner, with a population approximately half that of Tahlequah, has a streets budget of $500,000, according to Faye Bemo, human resources director and former city accountant.

“The city works on our sidewalks every year, and we generally spend about $15,000,” she said. “As far as streets go, we have $500,000 in the budget, but not all of that is spent on repaving projects. Some of that goes to materials like road salt and oil.”

Claremore is home to approximately 16,000 residents, slightly more than Tahlequah’s 14,000, but that city also allocates more funding to concrete, asphalt and overlay projects.

“We spend about $170,00 on concrete, $30,000 on asphalt, and about $300,000 on asphalt overlay,” said Robert Cheshire, Claremore Street Department assistant superintendent. “Those are just estimates, though, because the budget changes every year.”

According to figures provided by Corn, this year, Tahlequah has allocated $10,000 to concrete and $103,746 for asphalt.

Corn believes that in order to give Tahlequah streets and sidewalks the makeover they deserve, a bond issue should be proposed.

“And it needs to be specific,” said Corn. “If they want certain projects completed, they need to be outlined and bidded for and have the people vote on which ones they believe are important. As it stands now, if you live in a residential area and want a sidewalk on your property, we’ll supply the labor if you supply the materials.”

Corn is also concerned the new streets added in the annexation will soon need attention.

“These streets are going to need to be repaved, and we don’t have the resources to complete the list of projects I have now,” said Corn. “I’m sure the people who live out here who are under the umbrella of the city expect the same services anyone else does.”