MECOSTA COUNTY — Mecosta County's chapter of the Michigan Townships Association is requesting road project assistance from the county.
Green Township supervisor Jim Chapman presented a resolution to the Mecosta County Board of Commissioners during the public comment portion of a recent meeting.
“The single biggest responsibility of government in the interest of public is roads, public safety and schools,” Chapman said. “Everybody is interested in roads."
“We have a unique opportunity this year in that the county road commission is trying a new program in which they are taking $1 million that is designated for primary roads and distributing it equally to all 16 townships,” he added. “That will be $62,500 for each township. At the MTA meeting, all the members voted in favor of a resolution to come to this board and ask for additional funding. We are asking the county board of commissioners to consider matching (the $62,500).”
Chapman said even with the additional funds from the road commission, townships can not afford to do a lot of the most needed road repairs.
“The problem is the cost of road projects,” Chapman said. “They are absolutely devastating. The cost for reconstruction and repaving is estimated at $360,000 per mile. That is out of reach for a lot of townships, even with an extra $62,500.
“So, this is a problem we need to look at,” he added. “We (the townships) need your assistance to have enough to do the projects that have had to be put off. These are things that need to be done in the townships, and we need your help.”
The resolution states, “maintenance of a quality road system is a top priority for the citizens and their representative township governments,” and many parts of Mecosta County’s road system are “in extremely poor condition as measured by the road commission’s P.A.S.E.R rating system.
“Given that the county board of commissioners is controlling an extremely large reserve in their general account … and any financial losses suffered by the county from the pandemic can be reimbursed from the recent ARPA grant of $8.4 million. … the MTA calls upon the board to match the monies assigned by the road commission for township road projects,” it states.
Representatives from Colfax, Austin and Sheridan townships also spoke in favor of the resolution, encouraging board members to take it under consideration.
Austin Township supervisor Kenn Vredenburg told the board that he reiterated what the others said about the need for additional road funding.
“I have been trying to work with the county road commission to get the (130th Avenue) blacktop redone,” he said. “We don’t have the funds to do the project on our own, so anything we could have extra would help. We are committed to putting funds in because 130th is a primary road for EMS and police.”
He went on to say that what reserves the townships may have do not go very far on road repairs because of the cost.
“For a township to save that kind of money is quite difficult, so anything you can do to help with the situation so that everybody works together would be appreciated,” he said.
Christina Martin, Sheridan Township clerk, said anything the county could do to help would be greatly appreciated.
“I just want you to know that Sheridan Township officials did support this (resolution), and we hope that you will make the decision to help all of the townships,” Martin said.
Following the public comment, board member Jerrilynn Strong said, “I would like to go on record stating that I would like the resolution from the townships to be taken into consideration.”
It was recommended the resolution be sent to the finance committee for consideration.
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November 22, 2021 at 05:53PM
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Township officials ask county for financial help with roads - The Pioneer
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