The Crow Wing County Highway Department has long been underfunded. The estimated 10 to 12 years that it would take to recover from postponed road repair projects with a road dedicated sales tax should open your collective eyes. We as taxpayers demand better of you.
All users of the county roads are being taxed for the roads poor conditions, not in dollars going to fund road repair but in lost fuel economy, increased repair costs on our vehicles and longer response times from emergency services.
If the county can not see fit to take advantage of this available revenue stream I think that a number of paved roads in the county would be better served by returning then to gravel roads.
It is commendable that you are able to hold the budget to zero increases. It is troublesome that there seems to be unrest in many of the departments leading to lost productivity. The recent decision to scrap a probation coalition that by all accounts is working well, and include it in an already overworked Community Services Department, is one example.
Ray Sewell
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Fort Ripley
