Road Commission Millage On Van Buren County Ballot

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Van Buren County voters are being asked this week to approve a local road millage request after it was defeated during the August primary. Road Commission Engineer-Manager Larry Hummel tells us they made a slight change to the language in the question to clarify that the money collected by each local government will stay there if approved. They’re seeking an additional three mills for 12 years.

“Dollars collected go back to where they came from according to state statute,” says Hummel. “So it’s just a requirement that language gets added back to the ballot so it’s transparent and clear what’s collected and where does it go.”

Hummel says getting that money would enable the Van Buren County Road Commission to get the majority of primary roads in the county in good condition. Right now, about 67% of them are in poor condition. As for the question of the gas taxes and registration fees that many people believe are meant to go to roads, Hummel says very little of that actually comes back to Van Buren County.