FeedsIs a road millage in Canton’s future?
A committee that sets improvement priorities for Canton Township road intersections may be expanded to do the same for roads in general.
Officials plan to solicit interest for new positions on the Intersection Audit Committee (IAC), a township appointed body formed in 2004.
The current seven-member committee decides priorities for the annual intersection improvement plan, which this year included the junctions of Sheldon Road at Saltz Road and Sheldon at Cherry Hill Road. The list has been a big help luring sparse funds from Wayne County for improvements, officials said. The township also dedicated some money from the police millage for the work.
Similarly, the expanded committee would rate public roads in Canton that need attention. A new road rating system adopted by Wayne County and the Federal Highway Administration takes effect in 2008 and would enable the township group to easily prioritize roads and pitch the list to higher-ups in order to woo dollars.
“Coming up with a priority for our projects…would help us pick what projects we want to see done,” said Tom Casari, township engineer and staff representative on the IAC.
The list could also be used to prove the need for a special road millage in Canton, according to township engineer Tom Casari.
“We’re sort of considering that,” said Casari. “Because the townships don’t have jurisdiction over roads and don’t get Act 52 dollars, we’ve been slower to get involved. We’re getting more involved because the county has been getting less involved.”
Canton is more active than most townships in getting money for roads, according to Casari. Township officials set aside money in one way or another since the mid-1980s. As even more cars pour through the township, local attention to roads has become paramount.
“One of the most important thing you can do for a road system is to recognize when it needs its initial phases of maintenance, because that prolongs the life of the roads,” said Casari.
As a township, Canton is dependent on Wayne County for road maintenance and improvements. If county budgets tighten, it might eventually force Canton’s hand as roads deteriorate.
Neighborhood-specific tax hikes, called Special Assessment Districts, are another option for improving old roads in subdivisions. In Canton, they are also the less controversial one.
Residents may understand funding an improvement in front of their own home, said township Supervisor Tom Yack. Yet, he said, “they aren’t inclined necessarily to reach in their pocket and fix the road in front of your house.”
The two most recent attempts to gain voter approval of a millage, both under Yack’s administration, failed. The roads may get so bad that Canton might consider the option once again.
“You know, that’s possible,” said Yack about floating a road millage. “We haven’t done one of those in a long time. I don’t know what the temperature would be for a millage hike.”
Any consideration would be after this year. Canton trustees have already set the maximum millage rate for 2007 not to exceed the current rate. A public hearing on millage rates takes place Sept. 12.
Yack said even though residents encounter bad roads every day, a tax increase might be a tough sell.
“I think it’s more difficult for townships to get road millages approved. There’s a general perception that the county owns the road, so they ought to be maintaining and improving them.”
An expanded Intersection—and Roads—Audit Committee could also help further understanding of why the township must partner with higher governments to get the job done.
“At least those folks are going to understand who owns what roads (and) how they get funded,” said Yack.
