Our very own Liz Vogel, Deputy Supervisor of Clinton Township, was our speaker on July 25th.
As Deputy Supervisor, Liz describes her job as putting out daily fires, ranging from the mundane to the extraordinary.
Her topic: Fix the Damn Roads!
Did you know that there has been no proactive road funding since 2007? The majority of the funding comes from state and federal gas taxes but it is not enough. As an example of how behind road repairs are, Sterling Heights has spent (and has allocated) $500 million dollars to fix their roads since 2014 and it’s not enough. With the money the communities have, most of the repairs are stopgap fixes.
Liz and other local government employees went to Lansing in April to talk to legislators about funding road repair. They walked away frustrated with the excuses. As result, she drafted a proclamation for all cities and townships to join to reprioritize state funding by updating Act 51 (which deals with funding), enforce weight limits, improve collaboration, and bring in more stakeholders.