Quick, get ready for a good, old-fashioned round of Paving for Votes!

It’s a long-time favorite game in Adams County that, just like the Olympic games, comes around every four years as voters prepare to head to the polls next November.

Laws prohibit county supervisors from starting contractual projects that might extend beyond their term, so the setup for a successful game of Paving for Votes must be done well in advance. The timing must be impeccable.

The work needs to be completed in such a way that select voters are able to think fondly of their incumbent supervisors as they drive down new blacktop.

This year’s game was nearly canceled after Adams County Supervisors realized the county received a bad credit rating of sorts.

Due to the county’s not paying attention to interfund transfers and the general fund balances at year-end audit time, a credit rating agency lowered the county’s bond rating.

The result of the lowered credit rating was a more than $6 million match of Paving for Votes had to be delayed due to the poor credit rating.

Now, the county has opted to take out a far less ambitious $2.5 million loan for road maintenance projects.

If the roads need paving, they need paving, but the timing of such things always seems suspicious and it always seems at least a bit, like someone is playing a game with taxpayer money.