Harrison / Michigan / United States
Clare County Road Commission was formally established on October 20, 1919 through action by the Board of Supervisors. The first Chairman of the Board of County Road Commissioners was Richard Emerson, and members were S.W. Sly and Samuel Bruce.Prior to this time, roads were maintained by the townships. Many of the farmers in the townships were allowed to do road work in lieu of paying taxes. In the early 1930s, through the McNitt Act, the townships formally turned their roads over to the county road commission. Today, there are no township roads, but the townships still play an important role by contributing significant financial resources toward road improvements.Uniform and consistent funding for roads was introduced by Public Act 51 of 1951 which established the Michigan Transportation Fund and developed a formula for distributing the monies collected from fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees, and drivers license fees to transportation agencies: cities and villages, county road commissions, and the Michigan Department of Transportation.All counties, with the exception of Wayne, have road commissions consisting of 3 to 5 members either elected or appointed by the County Board of Commissioners. Clare County has 3 elected commissioners, and the road commission board is a separate entity from general county government, operating with its own revenue source and budget. The road commission receives no property taxes for its operations, but townships with road millage may contribute to construction projects.Road commissions are responsible for routine maintenance of county public roads and, in Clare County, state highways. Along with the commonly recognized activities of snow plowing, gravel road blading, improving drainage, pothole patching, and roadside mowing, road commissions also maintain bridges, signs, pavement markings, equipment, and storage facilities.Clare County Road Commission maintains 1004 miles of county roads, of which approximately 250 miles are paved, and 255 lane miles of state highway with a total workforce of 34 regular employees in 2007. Of the regular employees, 22 are drivers and operators, while 3 perform mechanical duties and 1 is involved with signs, pavement marking and permits. Supervisors, financial, technical and clerical personnel account for 8 positions.More information on the history, function and financing of road commissions may be found on the County Road Association of Michigan ( CRAM ) website at www.micountyroads.org.
