Behind the Headlines

By Stephanie A.

I just received a copy of this. I thought it may be of interest readers since roads, or the crumbling of at least, seem to be a favored topic in Monroe County. Make of it what you will.

The following is pasted from an email:

“Dear Honorable Angerer, Ebli, and Richardville,

Well, it’s upon us – Pothole Season in Michigan. We have all been around long enough to know it goes hand-in-hand with the arrival of the Robin! Of course one is anticipated and excites us – the other is dreaded and infuriates us. If potholes could only fly, some say that it would become our State Bird. As a Commissioner of the Monroe County Road Commission (MCRC) I am writing to ask once again that you make it a priority to find solutions to the road-funding debacle in Michigan.

I realize that Governor Granholm has appointed a Task Force to investigate the present road funding system, and offer in 2008 and 2009 ideas for a solution. But please understand that from my position that timetable is simply not acceptable. Our State Legislators cannot simply set aside this serious issue while a committee discusses possible options. This committee will not come back with “the solution”. It will submit options for possible solutions. And when will we enact solutions? Long after the road situation has become so severe that whatever funding option are suggested, it will take many years to get us to a level playing field with our deteriorating roads. We are in crisis now. Each year, each month we get further behind in terms of the cost of reconstruction and maintenance.

I am not one to bring complaints without offering workable solutions. So, here are three solutions that will provide immediate help. These first two you have heard before.

1) Diesel Parity – How about simply moving forward with diesel parity? There seems to be no good reason why gasoline is taxed at 19 cents and diesel fuel at 15 cents. That simple change would bring some relief. Certainly there would be some opposition, but making difficult decisions always brings opposition.

2) Hands Off MTF Funds – At the very least Lansing could eliminate the “off the top” shifting of millions of dollars collected for road improvement that are being sent to various other departments in the Capitol. Taxpayers have a right to expect that when they pay their fuel tax, vehicle registration fees and license fees that the money will definitely be spent on road improvement. It seems too easy for Legislators to use road improvement dollars to solve the ills of other departments. Quit robbing Peter to pay Paul!

3) Tax Credit For Road Millages – A new solution is allowing a “state tax credit” to voters who step forward and approve local road millages. A local road millage involves voters adding taxes on themselves for a specific service or needs. Let it become a dollar for dollar credit for those who are willing to step forward and take control of the road situations in their townships. Township Officials and road agencies could collectively work together and prioritize the roadwork to be done. Basically it boils down to this: Local tax dollars staying within the townships (not passing through Lansing), under local control, addressing local issues (roads, bridges, culverts, drainage, etc). Michigan Legislators for years (even before your time) have consistently demonstrated that they embrace the idea that “locals should pay for local roads”. Ask not what Lansing can do for you, but what you can do for your township/municipality. Let it happen.

We need solutions now – not a year or two of more discussions. The more talking that is done in Lansing the further behind your districts are in terms of getting ahead in the area of road improvement. I have provided several ideas for your consideration. Please step forward with strong leadership and enact legislation that gives local townships and road agencies the necessary avenues to maintain and improve the road system under our responsibility and in our counties. Road agencies and township officials are willing to take on the responsibility for local road maintenance. What we ask of you is the tools to make it happen. Please, help us help your constituents.
Respectfully,
Anthony M. Majauskas, Chairman
Monroe County Road Commission”

Stephanie Ariganello; stephaniea@monroenews.com

The county board of commissioners will likely make that determination tonight.

Road problems are one of the most common complaints from residents, regardless of where they live in the county. In south county, it’s: “why are our roads crappy and then I drive two miles over the border and Ohio’s are fine?” In north county, kind of the same countywise, especially when it comes to clearing the roads after a big snow. And everywhere in between – everyone knows of at least one road that could use some work. And the potholes, my god, the potholes.

The road commission (the employees) says it’s numbers plain and simple – they don’t have the dollars to make an impact and they keep trying to shuffle what they do have. That isn’t really a sufficient answer for most people, so when the state passed legislation allowing local communities to elect or appoint their road commissioners – the actual people who approve the budget and the road projects each year – people took notice. Currently the commissioners are appointed by the county board of commissioners.

This will be the hot topic at tonight’s board meeting at 7 p.m. tonight in the commissioner chambers at the Monroe County Courthouse, 125 E. Second St.

Here’s a short breakdown of the issue and what people are saying:

• The road commissioners are opposed to election saying it would take the focus off of qualifications and objective decision making, turning it into something that highlights politics and personal agenda.
• Those who support election over appointment say it would hold the road commissioners accountable for their decisions.
• If there was a move to elected commissioners, the election would be county wide – not segregated into districts. Some fear a county wide election for road commissioners could unfairly stack the deck with representatives from the larger municipalities in the county, leaving the smaller cities and townships to fend for themselves when it comes to funding.
• It’s also not necessarily true that an election would result in better candidates. Votes might go to the best known or most vocal candidates, rather than the most qualified. In contrast, under the appointive process, county commissioners can solicit applications, set educational requirements, review resumes, check references and conduct interviews.
• Some argue that it won’t matter – either way. The most common complaint is that county roads just aren’t getting fixed. Michigan’s fuel tax is one of the lowest in the nation, and Michigan is ranked in the bottom 10 states in per capita funding for roads. Elected officials would face the same tough choices as appointed officials in allocating limited funds.
• Thus far, Commissioners Jerry Oley, LaMar Frederick and Dale Zorn have been very vocal about supporting elected officials.
  
• The board put off making a decision last time – postponing the vote until a later meeting like tonight’s. It should be fairly interesting to hear what the other commissioners have to say about it.
  
• The commissioners also can consider expanding the road commission panel from three to five representatives.
  

By Stephanie Ariganello; stephaniea@monroenews.com

I just drove in from Luna Pier, and what would normally take me 15-20 minutes took at least 45. I took I-75 because on snowy days, it’s usually the safest bet. And the roads didn’t seem bad… until I hit just south of the S. Otter Creek Rd. exit. From there until just north of LaPlaisance, cars were just randomly sliding off the road and slamming into the guard rails. It was bizarre.

I have a subcompact, all-wheel-drive car that never even waivers in slick conditions. I started sliding sideways at one point, until I was able to recover. Semis were unsteady. An SUV that flew past all of us cautious drivers was soon on the side of the road, smashed, no longer connected to its front bumper. Even going 30-35 MPH, I felt like I could lose control.

So, a word of caution. It may not initially look bad, but be careful.

In case you were wondering:

“The Michigan State Police (MSP) is announcing that a widely distributed e-mail message about a “30-day speeding ticket frenzy” to be conducted by the MSP is completely false. There is no such effort underway at this time, or any time in the future, to generate revenue through the issuance of traffic citations. Citizens should regard the warning as nothing more than an urban legend.

Versions of this e-mail have been circulating in cyberspace for a few years. Several other states including New Jersey, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Oklahoma have also been targeted in this hoax.“

Who knew that Rauch Road had been built in the 1930’s? To me, that just sounds so crazy. At the road commission meeting the other night, I learned more about roads, Rauch and Samaria specifically, than I ever knew I wanted.

Crushing, chipping, sealing, grinding – it all sounds a little like a bad trip to the dentist. It was pretty informative though.

They estimate that about 500 cars go through Rauch on any given day. But that number would jump significantly if the road weren’t so horrible. No action was taken (and no one threatened to shove anything anywhere), but hopefully it’s the start of the movement to make positive changes.

What’s the general consensus? Do you think the road commission is just paying lip service to the Rauch situation or will this road actually get fixed in the next year or two?

This morning, most of our friends in northwest Ohio are under Level 3 county snow emergencies and a few are under Level 2. Level 1 means the roads are snowy, Level 2 means drive only if necessary and Level 3 means drive only in an emergency.
I’d like to see Michigan invoke something similar to Ohio’s Level 1, 2, 3 snow emergency procedure. I was living and working as a reporter in Ohio when that system was created in the 1990s. It took a few years for people to get used to the routine, but it really does take the second-guessing out of “do I travel or not?”

The complaints about not going to such a system usually focus on whether the sheriff or road commission has the authority to close down a private business … usually with fussing about “well this is the Midwest, we should be able to handle some snow.” The fact is, sometimes the snowplow crews can’t keep up with the weather conditions. There are times when even I-75 and the Ohio Turnpike cannot stay open.
That’s why Ohio law enforcement officers can and do, issue citations of “misconduct at an emergency” for motorists who are on the roads without good reason during a Level 3 snow emergency.
In the long run, the snow emergency plan proved to prevent a lot of guesswork for the workplaces. If you, as a business owner or manager, are willing to go to court and defend the need to a judge for your customers and employees to travel during a Level 3 snow emergency, then by all means go ahead and stay open. For example, as a news reporter, I carried an ID card that allowed me to be on the roads during Level 3. The news media was considered a necessary public service. On the other hand, my daughter’s day care center shut down during Level 3, and as a parent, I knew that procedure ahead of time.