Residents in Ypsilanti are spending more money on maintaining their vehicles due to major potholes and the city’s budget for road maintenance.
According to Mayor Paul Schreiber in a letter addressed to the residents of Ypsilanti, the city is at a fiscal crossroad and must replace lost tax revenues to survive. Falling property taxes and state revenue-sharing cuts have created a severe structural general fund deficit that must be addressed immediately.
“I bought brand new 20-inch rims for my car and only had them a good month before hitting a pothole, and it bent the rim,” said Tiara Warren, a resident from Ypsilanti. “On top of that, the city wouldn’t give me a dime towards a new one because I didn’t have the receipt to show for.”.
Schreiber said the declining property values are projected to reduce general fund property tax revenues from $6.7 million in 2010 to $4.4 million in 2017.
In the Lansing State Journal, Gov. Rick Snyder said the current tax and fee structure is not providing sufficient revenue to maintain Michigan’s roads, streets and highways.
Snyder suggested ideas for reshaping how the state faces its growing infrastructure crisis as in:
A $120 increase in vehicle registration fees. It would double the $950 million currently raised from those fees – a major boost.
An option for local communities to add up to $40 per vehicle to registration fees to help fund local roadwork,
subject to voter approval.
“Some of the potholes around town are terrible, especially the ones on Huron Street,” said Erica Rawls, a resident from Ypsilanti.
Rawls said she remembered driving her mother to a doctor’s appointment one day and she accidently hit a big pothole. Her mother complained about her back hurting and the doctor ended up giving her medication to take.
“Now I find myself swerving all over the road to keep from hitting any potholes,” she said.
Rawls suggested the city take a survey on all local residents to see which roads they believe should be fixed first. She believes this will help both the city and residents come together.
According to the City of Ypsilanti, major street revenues are expected to equal expenses by using $444,288 of fund balance. The contribution from the general fund for capital projects balance for FY 2011 is $ 275,000 to be used for the designated projects in FY 2011-2012.
The designated projects are Grove, E. Cross and W. Cross Street.
Major Streets currently being scheduled for improvement during 2011 are Factory Street Bridge, Middle Mansfield and College Place. Local street revenues are expected to equal expenses by using $60,839 of fund balance. It is expected there will be no funds available for capital improvements to local streets.
The Public Services Department is responsible for the maintenance of all City-owned and operated buildings, facilities and infrastructures as well as the provision of solid waste services in Ypsilanti.
In a telephone interview with Stan Kirton, Director of Public Services, he said there aren’t many roads with major potholes any longer. The city has worked on more than 40 projects and has spent more than $37 million on streets.
“The city spends about $80,000 a year on maintenance,” Kirton said.
“The city spent $300,000 paving East Cross Street, and next year it’s going to cost $700,000 to pave West Cross Street from Washtenaw to Wallace Street,” he said.
Kirton said the city gets some federal funding, but funding is tight as of now. In the next two years there won’t be any federal aid left for maintaining roads.
“Believe it or not, Prospect Road was done the year of 99’ but it wasn’t done properly nor was I in office,” Kirton said. “Huron River Drive needs to be addressed, but what people need to do is slow down while driving and have patience.”
In a road poll by Overdrive Magazine’s Highway Report Card, Michigan roads were ranked second-worst in the nation.
“There are a few major roads I noticed that needs to be repaired,” said Rita Drake, a resident from Ypsilanti.
Grove Road, Clark Road and Prospect Road from Cross Street all the way down to Holmes Road need repairing.
Drake said potholes could cause car accidents if they are big enough. Also, she believes they can bust tires and bend rims.
“It happened to a friend of mine,” she said. “She hit a pothole on Harris Road and had to fight the city to get it fixed. I even had to get wheel alignments done on my car because of hitting so many potholes.”
According to Drake, whomever wishes for the roads to be fixed must pay themselves. She said the road commission paved her entire neighborhood but everyone who lived out there had to pay because the township raised its taxes.
Discount Tire, America’s largest independent tire dealer, is known for providing quality tires for the public to ensure safety while driving.
Adam Turner, a manager at Discount Tire, offers these tips to help protect vehicles against the jarring experience of a pothole encounter:
Watch for potholes that may be in the road.
Slow down your speed and try to swerve around it.
It’s best to have the same stock tires that come on the vehicle, instead of custom tires.
If you hit a pothole, it’s best to take the vehicle to be inspected. It’s a possibility that springs and shocks can break, and also the inner part of the tire can puncture. It depends on the size of the pothole.
