Township voters to decide road millage

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Ironwood Township — Among the items township voters will decide in the Nov. 6 election will be a ballot measure asking for the renewal of the township’s road millage.

The measure on the back of the ballot asks voters to approve 1 mill from 2019-2023 dedicated solely to maintaining township roads.

One mill translates to $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

“(the millage) provides funds that are matched by the county for road projects. The great thing about this is it provides a floor of funding, which gives us options for both single-year and multi-year projects,” Township Supervisor Steve Boyd said. “It is not an increase in anybody’s taxes, it’s a continuation of the previous (millage), so no one’s taxes will rise as a result of this. They will stay the same.”

While the ballot language refers to a total of 6 mills, county and township officials said the other 5 mills are for general township operations and aren’t impacted by the November ballot measure.

If approved, the ballot language estimates the measure will raise approximately $82,000 for township roads in its first year.

The township originally passed the 4-year road measure in 2014, and the resulting funds have been used for a variety of projects since then. Recent work that was at least partially funded by millage revenue, according to Boyd, was work done on Vanderhagen Road and Section 12 Road over the last few years.

“This millage enables us to maintain the roads as best as possible,” he said.

The township and Gogebic County Road Commission use a Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating study, or PASER study, to determine which roads to prioritize when developing a work schedule.

The study analyzes road conditions and traffic volumes for the roads in the township and assigns each one a rating regarding what repairs are needed and when they should take place.

There are a total of 146.75 miles of roads in the township, according to the road commission.