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Marshall City Council reviews $788,482 street-repair plan, eyes new tax to sustain program
Summary
Council members reviewed a proposed 2025 street program totaling $788,482 and discussed trimming the plan or asking voters for a new tax to keep the street fund solvent after several years of transfers from the sanitation fund.
Marshall City Council members discussed a proposed street maintenance program totaling $788,482 and signaled they may seek new revenue to sustain future work.
Council member Brent, speaking for the Municipal Services and Personnel Committee, said the package includes a mill-and-overlay line estimated at $402,387 and crack-seal plus slurry-coat work estimated at $386,095, for a combined total of $788,482. “We’re probably not going to be able to do this whole program this year,” Brent said, adding that the city has been using transfers from the sanitation fund to cover street work.
The nut of the discussion was funding: Brent told colleagues the committee expects to trim the proposed list and to ask the finance department and city administration to identify a sustainable revenue source. “We’re probably going to be looking at trying to ask the public for a little an increase somewhere or a new tax,” Brent said. Committee members estimated an affordable funding target for next year in the $500,000–$600,000 range, which would reduce this year’s program substantially.
City staff and council members also discussed where to prioritize work. Public works staffer Randy said Marshall has “a little over a 100” miles of street, and council members noted some high-traffic corridors — including parts of Miami in front of the high school — are not on the initial list because utility work (MMU) is planned there first. Council members said they are coordinating with MMU so the city does not repave a street that utilities will soon reopen.
Committee members described several related municipal-service items discussed during the meeting: a proposed covered storage area for road salt to allow earlier bulk purchases and reduce wash-off; airport operations including possible new camera surveillance and layout changes to support agricultural aviation users; resumption of regular compost-site hours (Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–4 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m.–noon); and RTS yard-waste pickup beginning April 1. The council also discussed a request from the fire chief to designate Lyon Street (Arrow to High Street) as an emergency snow route; that change would require a future ordinance.
Council members stressed the estimates are not firm bids and said the city still needs to secure competitive bids before any contracts are awarded. “These aren’t hard numbers. These are based on increase from some other years and kind of what they’re thinking it’s gonna cost,” one staff member said.
The committee asked finance staff and the city administrator to model options and return to the council with a proposed funding measure. Council members said they hope to have a ballot or revenue ordinance drafted and voted on at a subsequent meeting if a funding plan is approved.
