Roads

Financing road repairs in the township, and the entire State of Michigan, continues to be a challenge. The Kalkaska County Road Commission (KCRC) recently prepared a detailed analysis of the condition of our township’s roads, both paved and gravel. While this will be a useful tool for planning future road construction projects, it gives us a stark reminder of how expensive it is to bring our township’s roads up to a “good” rating. Over 60% of our township’s paved and gravel roads are rated “poor”. Raising all of our roads to a “good” rating would require well over $6 million. Local roads are generally not eligible for state or federal aid. While the KCRC gives us a 20% match on our local road projects, the township and its residents must provide the balance of the financing.

During 2023-24, our township’s property tax millage of one mill generated about $110,000 of road repair money.  The road millage has been in existence since 2016 and has had a significant impact for our township’s roads.  On August 6, 2024, voters approved an increase in the road millage to two mills.  Since we were able to decrease the refuse millage by one mill at the same time, we had a unique opportunity to increase our road funding with no increase in taxes for residents.  The new millage rate, combined with higher property values, will generate nearly $250,000 per year towards road improvements.  This will provide a huge boost to our road repair funds.

We appreciate that our residents have supported our road millage in the past, and we hope that will continue in the future.

Keep in mind, the township does not own any roads, they are owned by the KCRC. Issues related to local roads and repairs are best addressed by the KCRC, which has both the authority and responsibility to handle these matters. The KCRC can be reached at 231-258-2242.