Talk of expanding the Washtenaw County Road Commission's governing board from three to five members is gaining momentum, but some argue it may not be the right move.

A handful of Washtenaw County commissioners who are pushing for the change say the Road Commission could use more voices at the table.

David Rutledge

But others, including Road Commission officials, say now is not the time to expand — and potentially increase costs — when the agency is being forced to downsize due to budget constraints.

"From my own perspective — and not just because I'm chairing it — the commission I think is functioning really well now," said David Rutledge, chairman of the three-member board.

"We've made some huge strides in customer relations and in use of our scarce resources, the dollars which are dwindling," he said. "And we have moved from 158 staff positions to 134. In a climate like that, where we have been reducing staff really by necessity of budget, I think it sends a wrong signal to expand the commission at this time."

The issue has been debated at different points over the last few years. It will take center stage at a public hearing scheduled for the July 7 meeting of the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.

The county board, which oversees the Road Commission and appoints its board members, ultimately will make the final decision.

Jeff Irwin, one of the county commissioners supporting the idea, said he would like to add more diversity of opinion to the Road Commission.

"It's nice to have people with backgrounds in law, accounting and public organizations, and people who have experience in road building, biking and walking issues, and planning and local government," he said. "There are just so many skill sets that would be valuable to get around the table and it's difficult to do that with just three people."

Steve Puuri, Road Commission managing director, agreed an expansion would bring more voices to the table, but also could increase costs.

Each road commissioner is paid $10,500 per year. Puuri said the total cost per commissioner goes up to about $20,000 when factoring in travel and training cost, as well as computer and telephone support costs.

By those counts, he said, expanding the board to five members could add $40,000 a year in extra costs, meaning less money to fix roads. The Road Commission board is responsible for a $43.3 million budget.

Irwin said he's open to considering options to expand in a way that's cost-neutral, such as decreasing salaries for road commissioners.

"The cost thing is a red herring," agreed Conan Smith, another county commissioner supporting the expansion. "The board of commissioners has the authority to set the salary of the Road Commission, so if the incremental cost of adding two commissioners is so much of a barrier, then we can reduce the salaries of the other road commissioners."

Smith said it's important to have more voices at the table as big picture talks are happening about the relationship between the region's transit and road networks going into the future.

The way the Road Commission is structured right now, he added, a discussion between two board members constitutes a quorum and may violate open meetings laws.

The board's makeup today includes Rutledge, who owns an environmental services company in Ypsilanti and has long history of public service; Doug Fuller, a retired contractor from western Washtenaw County with a background in engineering; and Fred Veigel, president of the Huron Valley Central Labor Council and retired electrician from Ypsilanti.

Rutledge agreed it's a good idea to hold a public hearing on the issue. But he fears an expansion might be an attempt to add voices from specific county districts to the Road Commission and that could lead to pork barrel politics.

"Sometimes when you get people thinking they represent only one area, they start to focus on that area and sometimes to the detriment of other areas where there are more serious issues," he said. "That's a downside I've seen occur."

Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.