Bidding will begin next week for a $250,000 paving project to improve the roads in Wesson.

Money for the project came from a general obligation bond awarded to Trustmark National Bank last year. Some of the money was used to pay off a previous obligation, and the excess is being used to do much needed repairs on Wesson roads, Wesson Mayor Alton Shaw said in a meeting of the Board of Aldermen Tuesday.

The board has not determined which roads will be paved. Instead, bidding will determine price per ton of laying both slurry seal and regular asphalt.

Shaw said the two different materials types were being used because slurry seal was cheaper — by as much as a third in some cases — but it wouldn’t work in all cases.

“There are some limitations,” he said.

Slurry seal requires an existing surface, and surfaces that are too damaged or that need widening will require traditional asphalt.

Time is also of the essence for paving with slurry seal, which requires a high temperature. Shaw said the board will likely hold a called meeting before the next regular meeting in order to accept the bid.

“Probably by next meeting we’ll have the numbers in front of us so we can start going over the what and how much and how far,” he said.

Shaw said laying slurry seal is faster than asphalt, but if the project doesn’t start soon enough it may be delayed until next summer.

No change in Wesson taxes

Wesson property owners will see no change in millage for the 2016-17 budget, Shaw said.

There was a slight surplus in the budget, which was approved unanimously by the board without any discussion or debate. Projected revenues for the general fund sit at $586,200, with $578,410 in expenditures. Water, sewer and garbage, which by law must be sustained entirely through fees, is expecting $540,000 in revenues and $480,250 in expenditures. Shaw said there was no change in fees.

Shaw said there were some raises in the budget, but they were based on performance. He said they averaged about 2 percent.

In other business:

• The probationary period for employee Bailey Gross has ended, and his wages will increase by $1 per hour.

• The board approved a purchase for 12 utility poles for the Wesson park by Copiah Bank. After some debate, the board said they would determine the size of poles to purchase at a later date.