My property taxes go up every year, why doesn’t the Road Commission fix my road?
The Road Commission does not directly receive any property tax revenue. Most property tax revenue goes to the State of Michigan and local school districts to pay for school operations, while small amounts go to the County General Fund and Township government administration, with special voted millages going to fund certain functions like the library, Central Dispatch (911), and others. Selma Township is the only township in Wexford County with a voted road millage. The only other tax money the Road Commission receives for road maintenance comes from the Michigan Transportation Fund administered by the State of Michigan. State collected fuel taxes, license fees, and vehicle registration fees make up most of this fund, which is divided by law among the 83 counties and 534 cities and villages, with the State keeping about forty percent for their programs. While these funds help us provide basic services such as grading gravel roads, pothole patching, and snow plowing, this level of funding doesn't allow us to make significant improvements on most County Local Roads. The Road Commission actively seeks State and Federal grant funds whenever available, and encourages participation in road improvement projects by other agencies and local Township Government. Unfortunately for most local roads, most grant programs target their funding to the main Primary County Roads, which in most cases are already paved and in fairly good condition, and most Townships operate on a modest budget that cannot provide the large amount of funds necessary to upgrade or pave many roads.