To some motorists, it may seem like road construction and repair work never end.

That’s if they’re lucky.

When they need to worry is when needed repairs and rebuilding aren’t getting done.

Recent announcements by city and county officials, therefore, could be cause for concern by local residents. A story in Sunday’s Journal-World reported that a lack of funding has prompted city officials to trim back on their list of summer road projects. They blame cuts in state aid for the fact that the city’s street maintenance budget is $200,000 lower this year and say that rising construction costs mean the $2.6 million that has been budgeted won’t go as far as it used to.

The planned funding will pay for about 50 maintenance projects in the city this year, but officials say about twice that number of projects need to be completed. The obvious result, which officials are acknowledging — and apparently accepting — is that there probably will be a noticeable decline in the quality of local streets.

Meanwhile, Douglas County officials also are looking at roads. Their list of major road construction projects is growing to the point that they are discussing a possible multimillion-dollar bond issue to finance projects such as widening roads and replacing bridges.

A bond issue may be justified for major projects and it’s true that state funding for road improvements has been reduced, but the current city and county discussion also may indicate that officials have been too willing to delay needed maintenance and repairs. If more funding had been allocated on an annual basis, the needs might not have stacked up as much as they have.

There are few public services that affect as many local residents as streets and roads. Inadequate or poorly maintained roads not only create problems for local drivers, but they also present a poor image to visitors. Taking care of streets and roads is an ongoing, basic responsibility of government and should be a high priority for city and county officials.

It’s disappointing that governing bodies are willing to accept budgets that put street projects on the back burner while driving conditions deteriorate and the cost of needed repairs goes up.