2023 Road Levies Overview

As we come into fall and election time, it is important to discuss our road department and why the upcoming tax levies are so important.  Our road department currently maintains 57 miles of roadway.

What does our Road Dept do?

Road maintenance– patching, paving and resurfacing roads, snow and ice removal
Tree removal -from roadways during storms, road sightline obstructions, and tree trimming along roadways
Road culvert and catch basin cleanouts, repair and replacement
Mowing roadsides to keep roads free of obstructions and sightline clearance
Ditching and Berming to keep the water flowing off the roadway
Vehicle Maintenance – servicing and repairs to equipment
Road signs – replacing signs that have been damaged or stolen – includes stop signs, road signs and street signs
Guardrail repair

While budget cuts can be good fiscally, in this case, it is hurting the service provided to residents.  The reduction in material purchases represents a reduction in repairs and resurfacing done to our roadways.  No capital spending means our trucks, plows, and mowers are not being replaced.  We currently have two plow/salt trucks that are over ten years old and will need to be replaced soon.  Even if we purchased now, a replacement would take two years to receive.  Previously, we had four road department employees, now we have three.  This means each plow route in the winter takes 5 hours, approx. 3 to salt only.  This only gets longer in the event of illness or other issues.  This has an impact on everyone who lives or travels through our township in the winter.

Our township roads are chip and seal, they will continue to wear and deteriorate if they are not resurfaced on a regular schedule.  We should be resurfacing a minimum of 12 miles per year to keep our roads in good shape.  This process requires our road crews to repair any bad spots or holes prior to resurfacing.  Given current restraints we made necessary repairs but have not resurfaced a single mile of road in 2022 or 2023.  Below is a chart that represents just a few common items needed by the road department and the increase in cost.

Without levy funding we will continue to fall further and further behind leading to deteriorating roads, equipment, and the end result is deteriorating service to our residents.  We hope you will consider this information when you head to the polls come Nov 7th.  As always, any of the trustees or our fiscal officer are available to discuss any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out.