The department is responsible for maintaining the county’s 423.375 miles of roads, more than 340 bridges, 23 ditches and culverts among other responsibilities.
Money for projects and programs comes primarily from motor vehicle registration fees at 38 percent and gasoline excise taxes at 27 percent. A bridge levy brings in another 9 percent of revenues.
The county this year is receiving more registration fee dollars for paving with the commissioners approval in 2018 of an added $5 license fee that went into effect in January. The added fee was estimated to generate around $600,000 a year. Through February, revenue for license plate registration was up $66,815 over the same period in 2018, Huelskamp said.
He said industry standard for repaving is every 10 years. The added money would help the county get to a 15-year cycle, which Huelskamp said he thinks is a reasonable life for a paving project.
The county also has had a bridge levy since the 1950s that brings in around $800,000 a year. Miami County is one of only three in the state with a bridge levy. The bridge levy money is used in part to pay a local match for federal program grants.
“You do a great job of leveraging those funds,” said Commissioner Jack Evans.
Among upcoming projects will be bridge projects on Croft Mill Road, Troy-Urbana Road and Peterson Road and resurfacing Ross Road in Bethel Twp. from Ohio 202 to Ohio 201.
The county last year spent nearly $317,000 on road salt compared to $136,500 the year before. The biggest difference in the two years was “the substantial increase” in price of the salt, Huelskamp said.
In 2019, the county contracted for the roadside mowing program. That work will move in house this year because of the increase in proposed cost to have the work done by contract.
“We have the equipment. We decided to use our county crews this year,” Huelskamp said.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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