Road Commission Governance Updates

The Washtenaw County Road Commission is a countywide governmental agency responsible for the construction and maintenance of safe, efficient roads and bridges. In Washtenaw County, a 3 member board oversees the Road Commission. These members are appointed by the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners. Day to Day operations are overseen by a managing director, who oversees 3 approximately 130 employees working in three departments: operations, engineering, and administration.

At their October 19th Working Session, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners received a presentation regarding the options available to the County for the governance, or oversight, of the Washtenaw County Road Commission. This presentation was given, in part, because certain options available expire at the end of the year.

They were presented with the following options :

• Expansion of the number of Road Commissioners from 3 to 5

• Transferring the duties to the County Board of Commissioners

• Changing membership from appointed positions to elected positions

• Retain the current structure.

The second of these options currently requires that an action be taken by the Board of Commissioners prior to the end of the year. On Wednesday, October 9, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners set two public hearings to receive comment as to whether the County Board of Commissioners should transfer the powers, duties and functions of the Washtenaw County Road Commission to the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners.

These hearings have been planned for two regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Commissioners.

• Wednesday, October 23, 2019

• Wednesday, November 6, 2019

These meetings are scheduled to begin at 6:45 PM following the conclusion of the Ways & Means Committee Meeting, and will be held in the Board Room at 220 N. Main, in Ann Arbor Michigan.