Votes Admin:
Votes Admin:
I have a few points to share. One, this ammendment is a single tunnel vission approach to a much boader problem. It is somewhat distressing that our Senate cannot muster the courage we expect in sending them to Lansng. Road Commission issues are problematic from County to County based on funding, period.
Our first priority is funding, not dumping the problem on another group of our elected officials that have no better methods in dealing with funding than the current road commissioners. Both are stradled with the original concept that our road commissions were created and funded to establish a certain "norm" across the State for the County trunk lines and local roads, (much like MDOT does on a Statewide level). It is Lansing's job to provide the funding for an acceptable norm. If we want better local roads we have always been able to levy our own taxes and make them as nice as we want. Neither the current Road Commissions or the County Boards have the ability to exercise these rights. The power was rightfully left to the Cities and Townships.
Second, we already have the ability to put road resposibilities under the County Board. Our Senators and Reps need to put their aides to work and look at what we can already do in a more focused mannerism. This proposal is short sited and reactionary to a very complicated and broader issue.
Related to this second point, is an increasing problem that there is no one elected official at the County level that is accountable for road issues. This is also true for other Public Works functions, (water, sewers, solid waste, etc..). Only the Drain Commissioners are accountable to the voters in the entire County. They are also becoming more responsible for increasingly complicated systems well beyond the original farm ditches. Drain Commissioners must work with road commissions and other public works entities more and more. County Commissioners are accountable to only certain areas and more often than not, very quickly learn how to "blame" others for the inability to get the job done. When water backs up, I know who to call and who not to vote for if I am not satisfied. This is not true now for my roads or other public works systems, and it isn't any better with the proposed amendments.
Look to the counties who have or are considering County Public Works Commissioners. Streamline those channels and tell Lansing to work on the real problem, fix the funding!