New Ulm review., 1920-10-13
COUNTY, j TOWNS I J
tGAlNsi$Bo,000
GOOD ROADS AMENDMENT
WILL SAVE A LARGE SUM
FOR BROWN COUNTY.
COMPARATIVE FIGURES GIVEN
ON EFFECTS OF PRESENT
AND NEW PLANS. :

More than $22S,OOO next year, and
still larger amounts in later years, COM
pared with $4,000 this year, will be
furnished for use on Brown county and
township roads through the adoption
OF Good Roads Amendment No. I.
The increase will represent indirectly
savings on automobile expenses, tires,
gasoline, etc, it is explained, and
neither road tax increases nor new
road bond issues will be necessary.
= The 1920 figures here are taken from
official records and the Minnesota
state highway departments furnished
the estimates which are rated con-
.servative. - S<es
- State Takes Big Burden.
About SO miles of main highways in
this county-those which long have
taken the biggest part of annual funds
and often at the expense of other roads
are to be taken over by the state
under the proposed plan.
The counties and towns, as stated,
will continue to receive all state aid
and local road taxes with which to
build and improve the local roads.
Their biggest gain, however, will re-
suit from the state taking over the
trunk roads. In return for this, the
county will give up only the personal
taxes from motor vehicles which was
S15,293 last year. It will also allow
the state to expend the federal aid
money, share of which will be used
in this county as in the past.
$10,000,00O Year More.
Adoption of Amendment No. 1 will
provide a yearly average Of s1O,o00,o0O
or more for the state highway system
and upwards of $15,000,0OO year fof
county and town road purposes. 1t
will mean a 1921 total of $25,OOO,OO0
in round figures, and more each sue
ceeding year, against less than $17,-
100000 now available. The added
dollars will be derived from higher
automobile license fees and the full
federal aid allotment.
s.' Road Funds Total $204,297.
Brown county road funds this year
total $204,297 There is $10O,4O8 of
county and $62,276 of township taxes
and S41,613 of state aid. J OF the first
total, approximately $1O6,516 is being
spent for maintenance and for new
construction on the SO miles to be taken
over by the state under the proposed
plan. Thus only $97,781 is going for
maintenance and Improvements on the
local roads.
All Funds Sufficient.
The Amendment No. plan,
engineers figure, will yield S22S, ,877
for the local roads, compared with the
present total of $97,781 this year.
Larger amounts will be spent on the
trunk highways also, without any bond
issues. Every dollar from the sources
named must be used on the county and
township roads and not one cent on the
state system.
The state will be bound by the con-
stitution to properly maintain all trunk
highways in this county and to fairly
apportion the remaining funds fo1
permanent improvements. The esti
mated state fund of $1O,O0O,OOO {
year, engineers state, will provide fol
grading, draining and graveling of 60(
miles and the hard surfacing of 2Ot
miles more each year, in addition t.
adequate maintenance. Thus, in 81,
years the state system will be mad,
up entirely Of finely drained an,
gravelled roads, except for more thai
1,500 miles which will be hard-surfacet
to meet heavy traffic demands. A
maintenance expenses decrease, per
5 manent impr& r&ements will increas
each year. e
Queries to Be Answered.
t Another reason for allowing tn
wheels that use the roads to pay fo
them is that the present system 500,
may force the state to turn back to tn
counties some Of the so-called stat
roads in order to concentrate its force
and funds on more important trun
roads already breaking down unde
increased motor traffic.
The Review plans to devote a limite
space to questions that may be raise
that this important proposal may b
intelligently decided at the polls o
November 2.