Beverly Hills

RCOC's budget reflects declining revenue, more federal funding

By Erin McClary
C & G Staff Writer

Directing manager launches video blog

series to communicate with public

BEVERLY HILLS — Declining state tax revenues set a somewhat somber tone for the Road Commission for Oakland County’s 2011 budget hearing, but officials say the commission will truck on.

Residents of Oakland County may experience slower snow removal and pothole patching than in previous years, but they can expect to be hearing from RCOC Managing Director Brent Bair more often since the commission enlisted the use of online video blogs to communicate financial constraints, upcoming road projects and winter maintenance information with the public.

Bair told an auditorium of board members, commissioners and residents during an Aug. 26 budget hearing that for the 2011 fiscal year, state revenues from vehicle registrations and the gas tax will continue to decline, just as they have for the past five years.

State revenues are the primary source of funding for the Road Commission’s operations, which include patching potholes, grading gravel roads and plowing snow. The Road Commission’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 of the following year. This year, the team is working with 100 fewer employees, an 18 percent reduction.

“Every single service we provide has been impacted,” Bair said. “We are doing less of every operation we perform, including everything from traffic signal and guardrail repair to lawn mowing and sign replacement. Of course, the more noticeable services are affected too, including snow removal, pothole patching and gravel road grading. Also, we are no longer able to do any road improvement projects that are 100 percent funded by RCOC, such as asphalt resurfacing or adding gravel to gravel roads.”

The 2011 budget, expected to be approved later this month, came in a bit higher than the 2010 budget, but only because of an increase in federal Transportation Economic Development Fund dollars, which can only be used for designated projects, explained Craig Bryson, public information officer for the Road Commission.

“While we’re getting a little more federally … the operating funds are going down,” he said.

The proposed budget for 2011 is $108.16 million, which shows an increase of $3 million from last year’s $105.15 million budget. This year’s budget includes $33.1 million for road improvement projects that actually total more than $50 million combined; however, many of those projects include expenses that have been spread over several budget years.

The bulk of this year’s federal funds will pay for a $24.9 million widening of Novi Road in Novi.

Other road projects laid out for the upcoming fiscal year include a widening of Crooks Road from 14 Mile Road to Equity from four lanes to five in Clawson, Royal Oak and Troy, totaling roughly $3.8 million; resurfacing repairs to Walton Boulevard, from east of Adams to Rochester, totaling $3.2 million; bridge work on Silverbell Road over the Grand Trunk Railroad tracks in Orion Township, estimated to cost around $3 million; and more, altogether totaling $50.42 million.

During the hearing, Bair said improving road infrastructure through projects is a good way to jumpstart the economy. “The 2011 budget demonstrates that RCOC is fulfilling its commitment to do the best it can with the resources available to maintain and improve the condition of its roads, including enhancing safety and addressing congestion,” he said.

Beginning in August, Bair began a video blog initiative that features video broadcasts of himself speaking to the public on the financial situations of the Road Commission, as well as projects and other road-related information. The videos will be posted on the Road Commission’s website, www.rcocweb.org, as well as on its Facebook page. There will be one each month.

This month’s video will be a discussion on roundabouts, considering Oakland County has the largest concentration of them in the state, Bair said. That video will air sometime in the next two weeks.

October’s video will address federal funding, donor status and something Bair refers to as “misdirection.” In November, he’ll discuss winter road maintenance and warn the public of the commission’s reduction of plow drivers. December’s video blog will address snow plowing and subdivisions, explaining why crews don’t get into certain subdivisions as quickly as people would like.

Each video is about six minutes long, Bair said: “This way, the public can get a little feel for me as a person.”

Bryson added that, if nothing else, the video blogs are a consistent way for the Road Commission to “reach out to the public it’s serving.” And hosting the videos doesn’t cost a dime.

“It’s a pretty modest operation,” he said, adding that the philosophy of the Road Commission is to let people know how their tax money is being spent. “We a have responsibility to provide information. … This is a little more personal, a little more casual way of sharing that information.”

On the commission’s Facebook page, Bryson said they also post daily updates on projects, lane closures, new information about road funding and links to other videos the public may find interesting.

“There’s a constant flow of new information through the Facebook page,” he said.

During the Aug. 26 hearing, Bair said: “We’re always looking for other ways to improve our efficiency, and in fact, we are currently in the process of reviewing the operations of our largest departments in an effort to identify additional ways to streamline operations.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Erin McClary at emcclary@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1118.