Saline City Council Seeks a 3-Year Renewal of Road Millage

The City of Saline will ask voters to approve a three-renewal of a one-mill levy to improve local roads.

City council voted 7-0 to approve the ballot question during Monday's meeting.

The millage is expected to raise more than $500,000 for road projects.

In 2018, the city proposed a five-year one-mill road levy, 1,874-1,483. That millage helped fund projects on Industrial Drive, Mills Road, Nichols Drive, Watson Road, Woodland Drive, Highland Drive, Hillcrest Drive, Lawson Street, Pleasant Ridge Drive, South Harris Street and the upcoming work on Clark Street.

DPW Director Larry Sirls said the work has improved the quality of Saline's roads. Governments use the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating System to evaluate roads. Sirls, however, showed outdated PASER ratings that showed the city's PASER rating was declining on local streets - not the message the city was trying to send after five years of tax-funded road improvements.

Despite the apparent presentation gaffe, council was all in on the millage renewal.

Councillor Jim Dell'Orco asked City Manager Colleen O'Toole what would happen if voters didn't pass the millage renewal.

"We would have to look at cutting projects (in the capital improvements plan)," O'Toole said.

"So the future of our roads depends on this," Dell'Orco said.

Councillor Dean Girbach asked O'Toole why the city was presenting a three-year millage instead of a five-year millage like last time?

O'Toole said the city doesn't have a good handle on projecting capital costs with the current inflation.

"We don't want to promise what we can't deliver," O'Toole said.

Marl, a proponent of the 2018 millage, said he'll enthusiastically support this year's proposal.

The motion to approve the resolution was made by Councillor Jack Ceo and seconded by Councillor Dean Girbach.

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