Marquette Townships residents to vote for road improvement millage

Voters in Marquette Township will be heading to the polls in two months and they will be voting for a millage to help improve the township’s roads.

It is a 1.5 millage rate over fifteen years, bringing in approximately $500,000 annually to the township.  The township hall has maps showing what roads will be reconstructed and filled.  Roads in the township would be improved through 2017.

“We’ve developed a list of priorities. All the roads have been prioritized. Even though your road may be in worse shape than some of the roads that get fixed in 2015, and yours may not get fixed until 2017, there is a method to the madness,” Marquette Township supervisor Dennis Liimatta said.  “And part of it is depending on if that road, the amount of traffic that’s needed to travel on there, as well as if it’s an emergency response road, is it critical to moving traffic through the community.

“So there are some other factors in there, but if you look at the maps we’ve provided–and that’s what we want folks to do, is to come in and look at the maps–and see when your road is actually going to get repaired, as well as what the cost is going to be for you.”

For a home with a taxable value of $100,000, annual cost would be $150–up from $65 with the current millage rate.

Liimatta hopes residents will be willing to pay a little more in taxes each year to fix roads, since many residents want to see streets in the township fixed.

“Millages are tough,” he said.  “People are taxed every time you turn around, and everybody feels it in their wallets. We’re just coming on the backside of a recession that’s been tough for everybody, but the thing is when you have as much feedback from the residents we have on the roads, roads, roads have to be fixed, roads have to be fixed…and we keep looking to the county and the county keeps telling us there’s no money. There is absolutely no money. And if we’re going to wait for the Legislature to shake some money free down to the county level, and then get to us, I’m afraid that those roads–we’d be better off going back to gravel in some cases.”

The township has road workshops planned every Monday and Wednesday over the next two months for residents to learn more information about the proposed millage.

Road Millage Workshops:

• Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Sept. 22, Sept. 29, Oct. 6, Oct. 13, Oct. 27 (all Mondays): 12-1 p.m.
• Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15, Oct. 22, Oct. 29 (all Wednesdays):  6-7 p.m.