Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

EDITORIAL

The issue: GT may seek another road millage

Our view: Selling it will be a tough proposal

Related story: Talks set on GT road millage

January 31, 2012

Grand Traverse voters may face decision about roads

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Here we are again — about out of gas and still trying to decide where we're going.

But the Grand Traverse County Road Commission thinks this is as good a time as any to again try to sell taxpayers on a road millage — even though commissioners don't yet know how much money they want, what that extra millage will be used for or when voters would be asked to go to the polls.

Unless someone hones the message and convinces voters there are projects that cannot wait, that existing funds are being squeezed as much as possible and they'll get the maximum bang for their buck, this will be just another failed effort.

Voters have rejected the last two road commission millage requests, which means the commission is going to have to do a much better job of selling any new request than if there had been no recent failures.

In 2009, the commission asked voters in Acme and East Bay townships for a millage to repair some of the county's most decrepit byways, including Holiday Hills road, widely believed to be the worst heavily traveled road in the county.

It was a reasonable request (one mill over five years) but it was crushed — 709 no to 535 yes in Acme, 1,539 no to 717 yes in East Bay.

In the fall of 2010 a 1-mill, four-year countywide request to raise $4.5 million a year for road repairs lost 13,624 yes to 18,324 no.

So coming back for a third try in less than three years would be a push — particularly since the commission doesn't yet appear to have a clear idea of what must be done or how much it will cost to do it.

To their credit, commissioners are having discussions about what is needed in public; but in the end they must convince voters it is absolutely critical to have additional funding, not just a good thing.

Commissioner Dave Taylor was direct — "I don't know if people will support a millage," he said "... (B)ut I don't know how we will fix our roads without one."

The commission will need a lot more of that kind of talk.

Compounding the problem is that Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to soon come up with a way to fill what is said to be a $1.4 billion annual funding gap to repair state bridges and highways.

While that effort won't deal with local roads, voters are sure to swallow hard at shelling out more for roads, state or local, period.

There are plenty of potholes on the way ahead.

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