Two residents urged the Butler County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday to take action on deteriorating rural roads, drainage problems and long-term maintenance arrangements for townships.

David Wuerl, who identified himself as an Andover-area resident, described severe erosion at a curve near Foothills Road and 80 Second Street (Flint Hills Road). "It's just eating up my field," Wuerl said, adding that "there's 4 foot of the telephone pole exposed where it's washing that out." He showed photos and asked that county staff coordinate with township officials to evaluate a permanent fix.

Kent Brummer, a long-term Briarcliff resident, urged the county to help organize and fund a plan for paving and maintaining roads in his neighborhood, including one-mile of 50th Street from Santa Fe Lake Road. Brummer described decades of what he called inconsistent grading and maintenance and said neighbors once raised private funds to add chip-and-seal surfacing. He asked the commission to study creation of road districts and to evaluate treatment products such as a stabilizer called PremoZyme (as discussed by the resident), and suggested the county pilot a mile on a heavily used road.

Brummer also described increased traffic and school buses, and said heavier use was breaking up chip-and-seal shoulders. "We need a plan to pave these roads," he said, adding that local residents had canvassed to secure commitments and funding in the past.

Commissioners acknowledged the long-running issues with the county
nd townships and suggested staff would coordinate with township boards and county public works staff. A commissioner said staff would "get with Curtis after the meeting and show him kind of what we're looking at," indicating county public works involvement.

Wuerl cited several site-specific details: he said his fence had been moved back "probably 6 to 8 feet" to compensate for erosion and that state or township riprap material might be available nearby, but that any fill alone would likely be a temporary fix, and that structural work (e.g., a larger pipe or other outlet) was needed. Brummer requested help forming a longer-term plan that could include paving, improved rock, or alternative stabilization methods.

There was no formal action during the meeting on either resident request; commissioners directed staff to follow up with township officials and county public works.

Both speakers raised issues that the county and townships have discussed previously, including the complications of 29 township governments and the legal/process steps required for township consolidation or transferring road authority. County staff and commissioners outlined that changing township governance would require petitions or votes in affected jurisdictions and is not a simple administrative change. Residents were told staff would investigate and report back.