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The Washtenaw County Board of Road Commissioners this week approved a series of service level adjustments aimed at reducing costs.
Road Commission officials said the adjustments, which will save $1.4 million, were approved as proposed earlier this year during the public comment stage.
Some of the cuts going into effect include reductions in street sweeping and snow removal services on nights and weekends, more limited sign maintenance and less pavement marking on local roads. The Road Commission also is asking townships to share more of the cost for some projects.
The timing of the adjustments, agency leaders say, has been driven by the steadily decreasing amount of Michigan Transportation Fund revenues. Since 2004, Washtenaw County's MTF revenue has decreased annually. The downward trend of revenue contrasts with a 53 percent increase in routine maintenance costs.
"Like the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Washtenaw County Road Commission is rapidly approaching a time when we will not have the capacity to match federal grant programs, and we will not be able to participate in locally funded initiatives," Managing Director Steven Puuri said in a written statement today.
"Returning federal grants and deferring road system improvements would be a huge disservice to the traveling public in our County," Puuri said. "For these reasons, the Road Commission has determined it is imperative that we make some service level adjustments now, so we can continue to match grant programs and locally funded initiatives for the foreseeable future."
Puuri said some of the cuts are aimed at freeing up resources to start a new matching drainage program with townships.
"We recognize that is an area that has been lacking," he said. "The intent of the board next year would be to develop a new 50-50 matching program for the townships to allocate toward drainage improvements along open ditch drainage roads."
Puuri said the Road Commission is anticipates approving a 2010 budget of $35 million. The $1.4 million in savings may accumulate over more than one year, he added.
Click here to download a PDF containing a complete outline of the service level adjustments from the Road Commission's Web site.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
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