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Township officers urge Kandiyohi County to shift road funding to mileage‑based formula
Summary
Township Association chair Danelle Williamson asked the county to change the township road account allocation from a population/road‑mile split to a formula based wholly or mostly on road miles, saying mileage better matches maintenance needs; the board will consider the allocation at its first February meeting.
Danelle Williamson, chair of the Kandiyohi County Township Association, told the county board on Jan. 20, 2026, that townships voted at association meetings to recommend moving toward a mileage‑based distribution of the state highway‑user tax pass‑through. Williamson said townships in Kandiyohi County total 733 township road miles and that Minnesota distributed $49,606,956 in 2025 to townships statewide (roughly $891.20 per township road mile under the statewide formula).
Williamson summarized a recommendation that would shift the county allocation away from the current 40% population / 60% road miles split toward one of several options townships discussed — a 70/30 split or a straight 100% road‑mile allocation — and said a majority of townships at a September 2025 meeting supported a more mileage‑weighted formula. "Not all residents live on township roads," Williamson said, arguing mileage better targets funds to road maintenance needs.
Commissioners asked about how the 2010 formula was set, budget timing and impacts on township levies. Staff and township officers said township budgets are set on a lag (money collected in one year is distributed the next), and the board will see the recommended allocation at its first February meeting. No final county action was recorded Jan. 20; the board requested more detailed allocation worksheets and time to consider equity tradeoffs between higher‑traffic populated townships and lower‑density rural townships.
Board members acknowledged winners and losers under different formulas and asked staff to include examples showing 2026 projected payments under each option.
