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County engineers ask commissioners to consider $5 permissive license-plate fee to bolster road budget
Summary
At the March 6 Wayne County Commissioners meeting, County Engineer John Larson and assistant Todd Roth presented road-condition data and urged the board to consider a $5 permissive license-plate fee allowed by state law to increase local road funding and address rising construction costs.
John Larson, the county engineer, and his assistant Todd Roth urged the Wayne County Commissioners on March 6 to consider enacting a $5 permissive license-plate fee to shore up thin road-repair budgets.
Larson told commissioners the county must maintain 396 miles of roadway and that material and equipment costs have risen sharply; he estimated a $5 fee could generate roughly $180,000 a year for the county but cautioned the total depends on how the fee is shared with townships and municipalities and on multi-year vehicle registrations.
The presentation explained why current revenue is insufficient and outlined repair costs and options. Larson said a simple 1.5-inch asphalt overlay can cost about $85,800 per mile, chip-seal about $15,000 per mile, and full mill-and-fill or major reconstruction can reach roughly $300,000 per mile. He described…
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