Four-year proposal before St. Clair County voters in Aug.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY — The county’s Road Improvement millage renewal request will appear on the August 4 ballot.
The proposal is a continuation of the .25 mills already on the books. If approved, the road millage would be extended four years from 2020 through 2023.
Voters first approved the millage in August 2012.
Kirk Weston, Managing Director for the St. Clair County Road Commission, said that the county’s use of millage monies as matching funds for state and federal aid projects has helped them complete many important projects. Those projects that qualify for federal aid require a five percent local match on bridges and 20 percent local match on roads.
Weston said that since 2015, the millage has generated $11 million and St. Clair County has utilized that money to secure $51 million in federal aid.
“That’s a nice return on the taxpayers investment. The funds have been put to good use,” he said.
Weston said that by using millage monies as match dollars frees up other dollars previously used for that means to complete projects at the local level.
“We can then use other funds to add stone and gravel to the back roads, do additional ditching, boom axing and mowing,” Weston said.
Based on current taxable values, the millage would raise an estimated $1.56 million in the first year that it’s levied. Approximately $350,000 will be shared with local municipalities in St. Clair County for their own road-related costs.
“The millage has been very successful and we’d like to continue it if possible,” Weston said.
One-quarter mill equates to an assessment of $25 per $100,000 of taxable property value. A resident who’s home has a market value of $100,000 and a taxable value of $50,000 would pay $12.50 per year towards the Road Improvement millage.
