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Oneida County highway commissioner reports operations updates and flags potential town revenue impacts from jurisdictional transfers
Summary
Highway Commissioner Ben Rich updated the Public Works Committee on pit operations, STH 70 patching, bridge washing and an internal promotion, and reported the county is gathering cost figures for proposed jurisdictional transfers—warning towns could lose revenue while county GTA funding would not rise because GTA uses a five‑year spending average.
Highway Commissioner Ben Rich told the Oneida County Public Works Committee on May 14 that crews will move sand screening from the Klaver pit to the Scheidigger pit next week and that patching on State Trunk Highway 70 will continue as long as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation allows.
Rich said most county and state bridges have been washed except those in active construction zones. He also reported the patrol superintendent position was filled internally by Taylor Miles.
On jurisdictional transfers, Rich said he is collecting cost figures for requests to transfer Willow Road (Town of Lynne) and Pine Lake Road and Squirrel Lake Road (Town of Minocqua) into the Oneida County highway system. He told the committee he is working with the DOT to understand requirements and cautioned that the towns would "lose a lot of money" under the transfer scenarios he reviewed and that the county would not receive additional GTA funding because GTA is calculated on a five‑year spending average, as stated in the meeting record.
Why it matters: Jurisdictional transfers shift maintenance responsibility and long‑term costs between municipalities and the county; the commissioner’s note about GTA funding rules indicates towns may face net revenue losses even if the county assumes road maintenance.
Details: Rich also reported that DOT approved six days of patching on STH 70 but county crews were on day seven; the work used a combination of hot mix and mastic and required crews of up to eight people. The committee recommended keeping jurisdictional transfer requests on the agenda until cost figures and town meetings are complete.
Next steps: Highway staff will continue to gather cost estimates and meet with town officials before forwarding any transfer requests to the county board. The committee placed a jurisdictional transfer update on a future agenda.
