Macomb County Public Works staff outlined a new ditching assistance program that county officials said is intended to help communities pay for open-ditch maintenance work.

Public Works staff said the new program is being advertised and will hire contractors to perform ditching work for participating communities. "That will be contracted out," Brian said. Staff said they solicited communities for locations and that because the program is new, it will take time to be fully vetted by communities.

On funding, staff said the program has a $1 million maximum in its structure: the county planned for matching partners and currently has about $350,000 to $400,000 committed or requested from communities in the initial round. County commissioners clarified the match funding breakdown: the general fund contributed $300,000 and the Road Department allocated $200,000, producing a $500,000 match that the county described as part of a potential $1 million program.

Commissioner questions focused on contractor selection and community interest. Brian said he expects to return to the board with contractor recommendations in a couple of weeks. No formal board action was recorded on specific contract awards during the meeting; staff were seeking authority to advertise and later present contracts for approval.