Funding
Some Bloomfield Township residents are concerned about the
condition of their subdivision roads and have asked Township
officials about making improvements to them. This section of
the website is intended to provide general background
regarding responsibility for maintenance of our roads and the
historic methods of their funding. It will also give
information that will help the homeowner understand the
options we have now.
A state law, Public Act 51 (PA 51), establishes the
distribution of funds for the maintenance of certified local
subdivision roads and major thoroughfares in the State of
Michigan. The sources of this funding are gas taxes and
vehicle registration fees. Cities and counties are considered
to be the owners of all public streets and roads in the state
and as such, have responsibility for their maintenance and
repair.
Bloomfield Township is an exception to this. It is the only
township in the state that directly provides road maintenance
to its residents. In the late 1960’s, at the request of the
Township, PA 51 was adjusted to allow us to enter into a
contractual agreement with Oakland County to take over the
maintenance and repair of our own subdivision roads. The Road
Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) retained maintenance
responsibility for all thoroughfares other than subdivision
roads. Additionally, the RCOC maintained legal jurisdiction
over all the roadways within the Township.
A condition of this agreement mandated that Bloomfield
Township pass a special one-mil millage for the maintenance of
subdivision roads. We cannot use PA 51 funding for the
replacement or reconstruction of subdivision roads, or for the
paving of gravel roads. The reasoning was – and still is today
– that local roads only benefit residents in that specific
area. Subdivision roads do not provide a thoroughfare for
general traffic, so state funding from PA 51 cannot provide
for their improvement.
The typical life span of a road is 20 years. Most roads in
the Township’s subdivisions are considerably older than 20
years and many of them show their age. Road replacement,
however, is a costly undertaking.
Bloomfield Township currently levies .7169 mills for the
maintenance and routine repair of subdivision roads. For a
homeowner with a Taxable Value of $200,000, this works out to
$143.38 a year. That amount stretches to cover plowing,
salting, sweeping and patching of more than 230 miles of
concrete and asphalt subdivision roads, plus the grading and
dust control of 34 miles of gravel roads. The millage was
never intended to cover major projects such as the replacement
or reconstruction of a road or the paving of gravel roads.
For road replacement or reconstruction projects in
subdivisions, the creation of a Special Assessment District
(SAD) is necessary. This puts the responsibility of the
subdivision roads on the homeowners in each subdivision. The
cost of road replacement or reconstruction projects varies
depending on the size of the lots and the nature of the
improvements. Based on 2008 construction costs and
understanding that specific projects may differ somewhat, the
following information may be used to estimate costs for an
average size lot.
To pulverize and pave an asphalt road with open ditches:
$3,000 to $6,000.
To repair or replace asphalt roads with concrete curbs:
$5,000 to $8,000
To totally replace a concrete road with concrete curbs:
$8,000 to $11,000.
Homeowners interested in creating a Special Assessment
District should contact Subdivision Improvements at RCOC,
248.645.2000. RCOC will explain the process, which begins with
a petition signed by property owners. Once the petition is
submitted, RCOC will do an estimate of costs. The RCOC Board
would then have to approve the process and determine the
special assessment for property owners, to be paid over a
specified period of time.
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Charter Township of Bloomfield
4200 Telegraph Road
P.O. Box 489
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303-0489
248.433.7700
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