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Column by Rep. Slagh: We need a plan that fixes all roads
RELEASE|February 18, 2020
Contact: Bradley Slagh

As the former Treasurer of Ottawa County, I have seen responsible budgeting and fiscal planning up close from our county board, cities and townships.  When I was elected to the State House of Representatives, I was looking forward to rolling up my sleeves to find solutions to many issues, and working with colleagues from both parties, including the Governor. 

One of those endeavors was to fix our roads in a sustainable, responsible and effective way.  Unfortunately, the Governor’s ideas to this point have been to significantly increase taxes on all drivers, a plan even leaders in her own party called extreme, and now a very unpopular bonding plan. 

None of the bond revenue will go to upgrade roads under the jurisdiction of our counties or cities; roads that the Governor herself said were in the worst shape.  What’s worse is even less money will be available for our local roads in the future because we are required to pay a portion of state bond indebtedness before road revenue is distributed to our local road agencies.  The $3.5 billion the state is borrowing under the Governor’s plan will likely amount to over $5 billion in costs because of required closing costs and interest payments, and it could take 30 years to pay off, which means we will be doing maintenance on those roads, maybe even tearing them up again, before they are paid off. 

This plan is not sustainable, responsible or effective in fixing our roads and infrastructure. I, and I am guessing you, are hoping the Governor will start working with the Legislature to find a real solution that allows us to stay within budget and doesn’t put our children in a place where the roads are failing while we are still paying off bond indebtedness. 

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