The Greene County Highway Department needs an additional $865,800 in its budget for the 2008-09 fiscal year, it was reported Monday evening at a meeting of the Greene County Road Committee.

In other action, the Road Committee approved guidelines for adding or removing a road from the Greene County Road List. (Please see related story.)

Road Superintendent David Weems told the committee that he has budgeted for an extra $600,000 to cover the increasing cost of asphalt.

He said the cost of paving one mile of road with asphalt has increased by $8,427, from $10,530 to $18,957, in the past five years.

The cost of paving a two-inch cap on one mile of road has increased by $25,837, from $30,500 to $56,337 in the past five years, he said.

Weems listed the line items that have seen the highest increase in cost this year, including an $8.28 per ton increase for asphalt.

Concrete, he said, has increased by $6.50 per yard, and salt has increased by $2.80 per ton.

Diesel fuel has increased by $1.23 per gallon, and gasoline has increased by 99 cents per gallon, he said.

"As you can see, there is a tremendous need," Chairman Kevin Morrison told the Road Committee.

Of the additional $865,800, Weems said $600,000 is needed for asphalt, $80,000 for diesel, $75,000 for crushed stone and $50,000 for gasoline.

An additional $25,000 is needed for equipment, and an additional $15,000 each is needed for concrete and drainage tile materials, Weems said.

Other increases, he said, included $5,000 for lubricants, $500 for electricity, $200 for natural gas and $100 for water and sewer.

In other actions, the committee rescinded its move in April to add Dearstone Drive, off Earlington Drive, to the county road list. Committee member Rennie Hopson said research shows that Dearstone Drive never was a county road.

The committe voted to recommend to the Greene County Commission that Cabe Court be added to the county road list.

Chairman Morrison said the dead-end subdivision road, off Holley Creek Road, was inadvertently left off the road list.

The committee also voted to recommend to the county commission that the county road list be amended to reflect GPS measurements of dead-end roads.

The committee didn't act on proposed requirements for right-of-way construction and entrance permit requirements.

Chairman Morrison asked committee members to review the proposed requirements before the next meeting, which was scheduled for Tuesday, May 27.