County Road Millage Likely to be Renewed by Washtenaw County Road Commission

Chilly November Sunday afternoon on Bowens Road, south of the Village.

On Wednesday, September 2nd, the Washtenaw County Road Commission (WCRC) presented their 2016 plan for improving county roads using P.A. 283 funding. The plan was approved by the County Board’s Ways and Means committee for a second year. The Board of County Commissioners will vote for a final determination on the one-year, 0.5 millage at the next board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 16th.

Manchester-area projects that will be paid for by the new millage include $270,000 for resurfacing Austin Road between M-52 and Clinton Road, and $31,000 contributed to replacing the Main Street Bridge in the Village of Manchester. For a complete listing of projects, see the attached PDF at the bottom of the article.

According to State Law (specifically Public Act 283, passed in 1909), county road commissions are empowered to levy a one year tax, up to one mill, for the purpose of road maintenance and repair. Washtenaw had not exercised this power since the early 1970s, but in 2014, given the deteriorating condition of state roads, and the inaction of the state legislature, it was decided that a .5 mill tax would be levied to make needed repairs on county infrastructure.  The 2014 P.A. 283 Millage generated $7.2 million. Cities and villages received $3 million (proportional to the amount raised within boarders) to use on their own roads. The Road Commission received $4 million to fund projects in townships that are outside of city and village limits.

These funds allowed the Road Commission to plan an additional 32 road projects in 2015, improving an additional 75 miles of road. Many P.A. 283 projects were preventative seal coats, which will extend the lifespan of roads and save taxpayer dollars. The WCRC was also able to pulverize and repave sections of Scio Church Road, North Territorial Road, Superior Road and Golfside Road, which were, according to the WCRC, some of the worst pavements in the county.

If approved by the County Board of Commissioners, this new millage would fund 32 additional projects in 2016, improving 58 miles of road.

“P.A. 283 is not an ideal way to fix our deteriorating county road system, as we only get one year of guaranteed funding, but it is one of the few tools we have to fix our county’s roads in the coming months,” said Townsend.

If you are curious how much this will cost you, you will need a few facts. Your house is not taxed on its current cash value, but on what’s called it’s “taxable value” which is roughly half its value. Check your last tax bill from the township to see what it says. Then, divide that number by 2000. If your home’s taxable value was exactly $100,000, then this road millage would cost you $50. The average home value in Manchester Township is $137,000, so taxable values are roughly $68,000, which means the average household will pay $34.25 for this one year millage.

Here is a PDF describing the projects the WCRC plans to complete in 2016 using this new millage: PA 283 2016 Projects List.

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by Fritz Swanson

Fritz Swanson has written for The Believer, the Christian Science Monitor, Print Magazine, McSweeney's, Esopus, LSA Magazine, and The Mid-American Review. He serves as a trustee on the Manchester District Library Board. He's the designer and publisher of The Manchester Mirror.

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