Committee approves revised bridge-aid policy requiring petitions before levy
Summary
After counsel review, the committee approved a rewritten bridge-aid policy that requires towns to file petitions before the county can levy; the policy preserves a 50/50 cost split and removes a county-set dollar cap.
The Ashland County Highway Committee voted to approve an amended bridge‑aid policy that aligns the county policy with state statute by requiring town petitions before the county levies funds.
Finance Supervisor Caroline Twombly told the committee that corporate counsel advised against levying before petitions and said the statute does not permit a county-imposed monetary cap. “We would need to have the petitions first before we could levy,” Twombly said. Under the approved revisions, petitions will be submitted earlier in the year, reviewed by the highway committee and then forwarded to the county board for final approval. The policy retains a 50/50 cost split between county and town but includes a 20‑year limit on replacements with an exception for extenuating circumstances.
Committee members asked about timing and emergency repairs. Twombly explained emergency petitions can be filed at any time, but reimbursements for emergency repairs would typically be paid from levy funds the following year because of the levy schedule. The committee voted to send the amended policy to the full county board for final action.
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