LANSING, MI (AP)-- If voters agree to raise taxes for Michigan's deteriorating roads, 61 cents of every dollar would go to local agencies that say the money could gradually restore roads to respectability within a decade.
The funding increase at the local level would be phased in over three years. It would include $491 million more to 83 counties and an additional $274 million to more than 500 cities and villages.
Local officials say the money would help tackle long-deferred road work, promote longer-lasting fixes instead of short-term patches, replace aging plows and salt trucks, and beef up dwindling employee levels.
About 39 cents of each new dollar would go to the state Transportation Department; 39 cents would go to county road commissions; and nearly 22 cents would go to cities and villages.