Van Buren County Road Commission Trying Millage Again

road-4
road-4

Van Buren County voters will be asked again in November to approve a local road millage request. Road Commission Engineer-Manager Larry Hummel tells us they made a slight change to the language in the question to clarify that the money collected by each local government will stay there if approved. They’re seeking an additional three mills for 12 years.

“Dollars collected go back to where they came from according to state law,” Hummel explains. “So, it’s just a requirement that the language gets added to the ballot so that it’s transparent and clear as to what’s collected and where does it go.”

Hummel says getting that money would enable the Van Buren County Road Commission to get the majority of primary roads in the county in good condition. Right now, about 67% of them are in poor condition. As for the question of the gas taxes and registration fees that many people believe are meant to go to roads, Hummel says very little of that actually comes back to Van Buren County. The millage request was defeated in the August primary election.