§31-15A-7. Current and prospective planning; roads and highways; report to Division of Highways.

(a) The council shall take into account the current and prospective infrastructure needs in relation to plans of the Division of Highways for the development and building of new roads. Upon completion of an environmental impact study, the commissioner of highways shall provide the council with plans for any and all new roads. In a timely manner, the council shall advise the commissioner of the Division of Highways on the feasibility of the expansion of new or existing water and sewer lines concomitant to the construction of the new roads.

(b) The council has the authority to appoint local infrastructure planning teams. The local infrastructure planning teams may consist of the following: A designee of the Division of Highways from the region where the new road is being built; a designee of the Division of Highways from the central state office; a designee from the Environmental Engineers Division; a designee from the local developmental authority where the new road is being built; a designee from the regional developmental authority in the area where the new road is being built; a designee from the Public Service Commission; a designee from the Division of Environmental Protection; a designee from the county commission where the new road is being built who shall serve as chairperson of the planning team; a citizen of the county where the new road is being built to be chosen by the county commission; and the elected state delegates and senators from the area where the new road is being built. In order to avoid delay of any highway project, immediately upon appointment of a local infrastructure planning team, the director of the Division of Highways shall submit to the council a time frame within which the planning team must act and within which the planning team must submit any plans, maps, recommendations or reports developed pursuant to this subsection. The local infrastructure planning team shall meet prior to the development and building of a new road. Members of the local infrastructure planning team shall only receive payment for actual expenses incurred. The local infrastructure planning team shall advise the commissioner of the Division of Highways on the feasibility of an infrastructure plan. The local infrastructure planning team shall meet to develop an infrastructure plan that includes an assessment study of existing water and sewer lines and a feasibility study on future development and laying of water and sewer lines. After these studies are completed, a developmental map shall be drawn of the proposed road route with overlays of the proposed water and sewer lines. These studies and the map shall be presented to the commissioner of the Division of Highways and shall be used by the commissioner in the planning, developing and building of the road.

(c) The water development authority shall establish a restricted account within the infrastructure fund to be expended for the construction of water and sewage lines as may be recommended by the council in accordance with this article and specifically, in accordance with the plan developed under subsection (b) of this section. The reserve account shall be known as the "infrastructure road improvement reserve account". The council and the Division of Highways may enter into agreements to share the cost of financing projects approved in accordance with this section from moneys available in the infrastructure road reserve account and moneys available from the state road fund. Annually, the council may direct the water development authority to transfer funds from the infrastructure fund in an amount not to exceed $1 million to the restricted account: Provided, That at no time may the balance of the restricted account exceed $1 million.

(d) For the purposes of this section the term "new" means a road right-of-way being built for the first time.

(e) After the construction of water and sewer lines adjacent to the new road, these new lines shall be turned over to existing utilities by expansion of boundaries of public service districts or shall be main extensions from the municipality.