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Highway commissioner: county road funding lags state targets, Trempealeau seeks greater support
Summary
Trempealeau County Highway Commissioner Veil Olsen told legislators the county—s state-level per-county funding has not increased since 2014 while DOT level-of-service targets require higher coverage, leaving local roads underfunded.
Veil Olsen, Trempealeau County Highway Commissioner, told visiting legislators that county road maintenance funding has not kept pace with state-recommended service levels.
"In our county, our money has been $1,581,700. It's been the same since I believe 2014," Olsen said, adding that the Department of Transportation's level-of-service model recommends higher coverage than the county currently achieves. He cited a statewide target of 90% coverage and said Trempealeau's 2024 performance was about 61.23% under that metric.
Olsen asked legislators to support county-level funding programs the Wisconsin Counties Association champions and to consider the shortfall in formulas such as the general transportation aids (GTAs), local road improvement programs (LRIP) and other state-managed programs.
The commissioner also described borrowing and local efforts to stretch dollars but urged state partners to consider additional support so counties can maintain roads rather than falling behind on deferred maintenance.
Legislators requested additional written materials and Olsen asked that the county association continue to press for funding at the state level; no formal vote or legislative action was taken at the meeting.
