Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1917-03-21
The County Road system

State Highway Commissioner
Frank +. Rogers Of Lansing gives
distinct reasons why the county road
system is preferable to the township
system. Mr.. Rogers said to Green
vile audience:
"Fifty-nine of the 83 counties of
Michigan are operating under the
county road system and the question
of adopting the county road system
is under discussion in several of the
remaining twenty-four counties.
"The county road system is the
plan by which the leading or main
travelled highways of the county may
be placed in charge of the county road
commissioner and improved by means
of tax levied on all the assessable
property as well as farm property,
both real and personal.
"Under the present automobile law
the state returns to the counties one
half the money received from auto
mobiles and in counties working un-
der the county road system this
money comes directly into the county
road fund to be expended for build
roads. In counties not under the
turned to the counties and distributed
among the cities and townships pro
rata to their assessed valuations. The
money returned to Montcalm county
in 1916 amounted to $10,482.
"The question of adopting the coun-
ty road system may be submitted to
the voters, and voted on at regular
or special election, either by volun-
tary act of the board Of supervisors
or on petition signed by ten repres-
entative freeholders of each incor-
porated city and village.
eff adopted the supervisors first
APPOINT temporary road commission
ers who hold office until the first reg
ular fall election when their success
ors will be elected taking Office in the
first of January following.
"The board of county road commits
may be one, two or three as deter
mined by the board of supervisors.
In my opinion the best results are
produced by a board of three COM
missioners serving in the demonstra-
ton capacity only and hiring a super
intendent, preferably an engineer,
who is successful road builder and
who has charge of all the details of
construction. Such a person must
make good to hold his job, and / wish
to say that the best results under the
county road system have been produc-
ed in those counties who have follow
ed this plan.
"No roads can be built which are
not approved by a majority of vote of
the board of supervisors. The coun-
ty commissioners must submit to the
board at the October session plans
and estimates Of costs of the roads
which they propose to build the COM
ing year. The board may accept or
reject this report or send 1T back TO
the commissioners for revision. But
under this plan no road can be built
anywhere in the county which does
not first receive the approval OF the
majority of the board of supervisors.
"The Montcalm county road tax
which can be levied in Montcalm
county is $500 on a thousand. The
board of supervisors may. fix this
sum at any less figure which they
deem advisable.
at is not any longer a question as
to whether Montcalm county Will
build roads or not for it has already
built 95 1-9 miles of state reward
road on which it has received $5O,-
591.10 in state rewards all of which
has been paid to the townships In
which the roads were built.
at is interesting to note that the
county has contributed TO the sup
port of he state highway department
only $33, 196.16 since its beginning
nearly twelve years ago. In other
words the county has received IN
state rewards about $3.50 for each
dollar il has contributed to the state.
"There are now plans for thirty
seven miles Of road calling for re-
wards amounting to $23,971. There
fore. the only question is whether
Montcalm county will adopt the coun--
ty road plan for the main Travelled
HIGHWAYS or continue to try and
build them under the township
system.
"The county plan has advantages
which may be summed up as follows:
81. 1t was an equitable plan
spreading the taxes over all the tax
able property of the county.
"2. 1t makes it possible to get bet
ter roads without breaking out the
township lines.
"3. Money enough is secured each
year to improve difficult pieces Oh
roads which are frequently avoided
by the townships on account OF ex-
cessive costs.
"a. If the three-men board is
adopted, one commissioner retires
every two years, there is always a
majority of experienced men on the
board. This is not true in the town
ship system, where more than half
of the commissioners are new men
after every April election.
"5. The county plan tends to
economy in the matter of road build
ing equipment. I could name
county, building roads by townships
where the townships own six steam
rollers and five road crushets. This
is machinery enough to do several