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Approved by legislature in 2015, a $1.2 billion road funding package increased the funding provided to the Ottawa County Road Commission (OCRC) through the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF).
The MTF is the primary revenue source for the OCRC and comes from the collection and disbursement of the fuel tax and vehicle registration fees. The road funding deal will generate an additional $1.2 billion by 2021.
The first $600 million will come from vehicle registration and fuel tax increases that started in 2017. The second $600 million will come from the state’s $9.9 billion general fund towards roads starting in 2019.
Below is a look at how the OCRC has utilized this additional funding over the past 3 years. This report and list of completed projects is also available online at our website.
   
The Ottawa County Road Commission has put together a video that looks at the success of the countywide road millage to-date.
The video includes background information about the road millage, as well as a district-by-district look at what projects have been completed, and what projects are on the horizon.
Click the image above to watch a video update about the Ottawa County road millage.
Road millage background
In November of 2014, the residents of Ottawa County passed a millage of ½ mil per year for ten years (2015-2024) for the purposes of providing a fund for the reconstruction, resurfacing, and preventative maintenance of roads in Ottawa County.
How are countywide road millage projects selected?
- The focus for the countywide road millage funds will be on the primary road system. Primary roads are established by Public Act 51 and approved by the State Transportation Commission. They are typically selected according to their importance to the county. All of the primary roads are noted on the Ottawa County Road Map.
- Millage funds will not be spent on administration or operating costs, or on routine maintenance activities such as snow removal, pothole filling, pavement marking, roadside mowing, tree removals, traffic road sign installation, etc.
- Road millage funded projects will be selected utilizing the Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) process. A SIP is developed annually and implemented based on input and comments from local governmental officials and the general public.
- Since 100% of the millage revenues generated within a township will only be spent on road improvements within that township, there will be some carryover balances for some townships in order to properly fund a proposed project in that township.
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The first year of the road millage was added to the 2015 winter tax bills, so a majority of the revenue was not disbursed to the Road Commission until early 2016. The following summarizes the projects that were completed with the first three years (2016-2018) of the countywide road millage funds:
$11,885,212 has been collected for the Road Commission from the 2015, 2016, 2017 Countywide Road Millage. It is anticipated that approximately $4,200,000 will be collected from the 2018 winter taxes, which will be disbursed to the Road Commission in early 2019.
After receiving input from local government officials and the public, the 2016-2023 Countywide Road Millage Project List and Balance Sheet has been developed.
The Ottawa County Road Commission is pleased to welcome two new faces to its staff.
Parker Birr joins us in the Public Utilities Department as a Public Utilities Operator.
He started on Monday, April 1.
Birr, who is from Manistique, recently graduated from Bay College with a degree in water resources management.
He looks forward to the new experiences offered to him at the OCRC, as well as the opportunity to get acclimated with the Ottawa County area.
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Nate Feenstra joins us in the Engineering Department as an Engineering Aide.
He started on April 1.
Feenstra, who has studied at both UM and WMU, has done some survey work and related internships prior to his arrival at the Road Commission.
Feenstra, who lives in Grand Rapids, looks forward to diving into his new role within the Engineering Department, continuing to learn, and the opportunities here at the OCRC.
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 This archive photo from the Ottawa County Road Commission is from November 1976. It shows the installation of a concrete road curb on Ottawa Beach Road from 144th Avenue to Pine Creek Bay.
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