The Ottawa County Road Commission has adopted its annual budget for fiscal year 2020 from October 2019 to September 2020.

This year's budget was developed with anticipated Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) revenues of $30.6 million.

The Road Commission's principal source of funding, the MTF is supported by vehicle registration fees and the Michigan state gas tax. The Road Commission's allocation is based on a formula which includes population, miles and types of certified roads, and vehicle registrations.

Revenues also included in the 2020 budget are the countywide road millage, federal and state funding programs, township contributions to local road improvements, permit fees, and sales of salvage equipment and materials.

These various funding sources are channeled into the services performed by the Road Commission, including road maintenance, drainage, and other improvements.

Our projected revenue categories for 2020 are as follows:

• MTF: $30.6 million
• Federal and State Grants: $4.35 million
• Countywide Road Millage: $7.959 million (including $1.7 million future year millage revenue)
• Township Contributions: $5 million

While the MTF is broken down into our operating budget, other revenue sources go directly into roads, through either preventative maintenance or road improvements.

The Board also recently approved the 2020-24 Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP). This plan uses anticipated revenues and road condition ratings to craft a roadmap for the maintenance and improvement of our county road system.

Both the new fiscal year budget and the updated SIP will be available to view on our website, http://www.ottawacorc.com.

Autumn has arrived, which means its once again time to issue a reminder to shake your mailbox before the winter snow arrives.

The process is simple: just give your mailbox a shake to see what kind of condition it is in, and find out what, if any, repairs need to be made.

Doing this now will save you many headaches as compared with waiting until the snow, wind, and cold of winter.

If you can physically shake your mailbox and it "gives" -- even just a little -- there's a great chance that the mailbox won't survive snow and ice removal operations this winter.

Even though the speed our plow trucks travel during the winter to remove ice and snow ranges from 15-35 mph, the force of the snow being pushed off the road can damage mailboxes and other roadside objects.

Keep the leaves out of the ditch, street

As we make our way out to rake our leaves this fall, it's important to remind everyone that the Ottawa County Road Commission DOES NOT provide a leaf or yard debris pick up service during the fall months.

Residents should instead use a local refuse service, or if available, a township drop-off site to dispose of leaves. Please check with your township office to see if and when your township has leaf disposal hours.

One thing we can't stress enough: Keep leaves and other yard debris out of ditches and storm drains to both prevent flooding and protect the water quality in local streams and lakes in Ottawa County.

Residents are also reminded not to pile or blow their leaves into the street. Leaves piled in the street can be hazardous to both motorists and bicycles.

Remember, property owners are responsible and bear the liability for leaves that are placed improperly in the street, or cause safety or flooding hazards.

The Ottawa County Road Commission is pleased to announce the addition of two new civil engineers to its engineering department.

Caleb VanKlompenberg officially joined our staff on Tuesday, Sept. 3, as a civil engineer.

A native of Hudsonville, Caleb is a recent graduate of Calvin University in Grand Rapids, where he studied civil engineering.

Caleb notes that he’s glad the new job allows him to stay in West Michigan, and looks forward to working with and meeting the staff here at the Ottawa County Road Commission.

In his free time, Caleb enjoys playing Rugby, and played for the Calvin College team.

The Road Commission is also pleased to welcome Mike Vance to its staff as a civil engineer.

Vance began working for the Road Commission on Monday, Sept. 16.

Working for the OCRC falls in line with what he envisioned for his career, being responsible for an array of different duties, and also being able to work outside.

Vance said he'd always heard good things about the Road Commission, and was excited to get his foot in the door.

Prior to working at the Ottawa County Road Commission, Vance spent his time at a Grand Rapids-area engineering firm where he designed retaining walls, sound walls, bridges and other precast products.

A graduate of Calvin College, Vance said he enjoys spending time outdoors in his spare time. Hobbies include hunting, fishing, camping and anything else outdoors.

The OCRC is excited have both Vance and VanKlompenberg join its engineering staff.