Royal Oak To Consider Road Repair Tax

If your constituents said they are willing to pay for fixing roads, what would you do?

The city of Royal Oak, Michigan, is considering a road tax to repair some of its 200+ miles of roads. Why? Because the roads there are in desperate need of repair and when asked in a recent city-wide survey if residents would support a modest tax increase dedicated to maintain and reconstruct local roads, the response was "yes". To be exact, 57% yes. So, City Manager Don Johnson, in a letter to city commissioners, recommended a ballot proposal asking voters to approve a 2.5-mills tax hike for roads for a period of 10 years. Good for you Mr. Johnson. You are doing you job admirably. And so it looks like a tax proposal will be on the ballot in Royal Oak for the people to decide.

|The city manager (of Royal Oak) said he doesn’t expect the state Legislature to offer any relief for local road funding.|

What about Michigan roads? When a poll commissioned by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce showed Michigan motorists are willing to pay the price of fixing the state’s crumbling roads, it seemed like a 'no brainer' for Lansing lawmakers. Right. Did I say 'no brainer' and Lansing lawmakers in the same sentence? Well you get my drift don't you? In spite of what the people in Michigan said they wanted the hired help in Lansing to do, nothing was done. No vote on road taxes, no roads repaired and a multi-billion road repair situation unaddressed and getting worse every day.

Well good for you Royal Oak by choosing to take matters into your own hands and asking voters in November to support a 10-year tax increase of 2.5 mills to repair the rough road terrain around Royal Oak. Let the voters do what Lansing will not do for you. And just a suggestion: How about the following sign...

 

Hey Lansing - Get It?

Look, doing your job is not always easy, just ask any parent etc. Even the question of raising money to fix Michigan roads is hard to raise. But if Royal Oak has the balls to raise the question and put it to voters, why can't our employees in Lansing do it? Guess they are just afraid of the voters. Wait 'till we fire them in November. Just say'n.


Drive Careful,
Will

Michigan Will Hire Lame Ducks To Fix Our Roads

New plan was hinted at by Top State House Democrat.

While searching for articles on the web yesterday, about Michigan road conditions and what is being done to achieve a fix, I came across one with a surprising new and innovative idea on how to tackle the problem. One that Michigan lawmakers do not have the backbone to do themselves.

Michigan Lame Ducks Off To Fix Roads

Apparently it is going to take a bunch of lame ducks to finally fix our roads. According to State House Minority Leader Tim Greimel 'a vote on road funding likely won't come until the Legislature's lame duck session'. The good news is that lame ducks work for 'chicken feed' and good health care. That we can offer them.


“I think there’s a very high likelihood that it doesn’t occur until lame duck, unfortunately,” said Greimel, D-Auburn Hills. He appeared on the Michigan Public Television program Off the Record. You can see the program here...

It's good to hear that somebody with something sensible to say in Lansing is finally being honest about what is needed to address Michigan's lousy road issues. Hell, nothing else has worked, why NOT think outside the box? Although if you ask me, and as far as I'm concerned you did, this plan has about as much a chance of working as a Michigan Legislator on summer recess. May as well try the ducks!

Give a Duck a Brake

Do you think I am joking? Michigan roads are a joke. What I am serious about is that from my point of view, NOTHING is being done to Fix Our Roads.

 
So, just to warn you, better be looking out for signs like these this fall. Seems only Lame Ducks have the balls to do the job. How sad.

Drive Careful,

Will

Michigan To Receive $115 Million For Fixing Roads

"Thanks for the effort" I told him.

Michigan Road Repair Fund

A long time ago, I had finished cleaning our pool and asked a friend if he'd like to come over and help me fill it up so it would be ready for the swimming season. A while later he showed up all right, with a bucket.

$115 Million ??

Not that I didn't appreciate his thought, but he really did not quite get the scope of the job. I said 'great, well throw a few buckets of water in and then ask the relatives to come on over and jump in'. He didn't get the joke. In reality, we always had water trucked in by tanker after a big clean-up and I simply wanted him to help with the hoses and such.

Well here in Michigan it is news that the state will receive a $115 million in special state funding this year for 124 specific road projects in certain districts. Now that is against a few numbers being tossed about of some $1.4 Billion needed each year just to get the roads "up to speed" so to speak. While it's more than a few bucket fulls in a swimming pool, $115 million IS less than 10% of what is needed just to start. How is a few percent of what is needed going to fix not just Michigan roads, but Michigan's lousy reputation as having the worst roads in our nation? It's not.

Good job on the $115 million, but I'm not just ready to jump in yet. Not even close. Lansing, JUST FIX OUR ROADS!

Details on the Road Funding...

Michigan Road Funding Will Be Cut Without Action

Will Michigan face a reduction in critical road funding if no action is taken by lawmakers?

That remains to be seen. In two Internet articles I have come across today the threat seems to be real. The very important federal Highway Trust Fund is on the ropes. It may soon run out and what does that mean for Michigan roads?

Both the Detroit News and Michigan Radio have brought up the ugly news. News almost as bad as a Michigan Pothole. Well maybe not much could be done by Michigan lawmakers about the Federal road trust fund, however I can't stop thinking that if Federal dollars (about 80 percent of Michigan road work is funded through federal Highway Trust Fund dollars) shrink or go away it is going to make raising road funds in this state that much harder. What ever can be raised will have to go that much further.

Is Our Road Money going Down the Toilet?

By not acting like leaders and addressing road repair and improvement issues in the past years when the fund was healthy, I can't help think that our Michigan legislators are flushing money and opportunities down the toilet. And you may well know how difficult it can be to get what went down the toilet out again. Our roads just get worse and worse.

If those in Lansing won't Just Fix Our Roads, their jobs can take that trip down the toilet too. Just sayin'.

Drive Careful,
Will

U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio Thinks He Can Fix Michigan Roads

I hear that U.S. Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Milford, has an idea on how to fix our terrible Michigan roads. Nice. He has introduced an "old fashioned" act he thinks will do the job. Here is what he has said...

Michiganians are fed up with navigating potholes after a hard winter. Transportation spending is one of the top concerns I hear from constituents. We in Congress need to take a different approach to fixing our streets: one that empowers local leaders and lessens the control of congressional appropriators over our lives. That’s why I have introduced the Repairing Our Aging Roads (ROAR) Act.

Well it's good someone representing us is making some noise, since the one's in Lansing don't seem to want to. You can read Mr. Bentivolio's explanation of the Repairing Our Aging Roads (ROAR) Act at the Detroit News Website Here.

Is Roaring the Answer ?

Maybe instead of Making Noise, Michigan legislators can Listen to what their constituents have consistently said, "Just Fix Our Roads". I don't necessarly agree with the whole ROAR act thing after looking into it, but I do agree we need action. Not inaction as we saw in the spring. I'm just sayin'.
 

Drive Careful,
Will