Summary
The Leelanau Township Board received the annual report from the Leelanau County Road Commission (LCRC), presented in slide form covering staffing, state funding changes, road conditions, and the 2025-2026 budget and project schedule. Brendan Mullane, LCRC Managing Director, presented the report. No board votes or decisions are recorded in this presentation; it was informational.
Infrastructure Projects
The report detailed Michigan's 2025 Transportation Package (Public Acts 17-20 of 2025), which changes road funding formulas effective 2026, including a new Neighborhood Roads Fund (NRF) of $1.1 billion not available until 2027, and a Gas Tax for Sales Tax Swap generating another projected $1.1 billion (21¢/gallon) for FY2026. The Michigan gas tax stands at 52.4¢/gallon and the federal gas tax at 18.4¢/gallon. The changes redirect roughly $600 million in income tax and are projected to trigger a rewrite of the LCRC Local Cost Share Policy.
Leelanau County has 598 total road miles (171 primary, 319 local paved across townships, including Kasson 36, Leelanau 45, Suttons Bay 39, Leland 31, Elmwood 29, Centerville 26, Cleveland 27, Solon 16, Empire 18, Glen Arbor 16, Bingham 28). The CRA Needs Study estimates $2.4 billion is needed statewide to reach a goal of 60% local and 90% primary roads in good/fair condition; the LCRC has been improving roughly 13,500 miles per year statewide as a benchmark.
2025 revenue was $10,040,143 against expenditures of $8,843,459, with $1,921,752 spent on local roads and $376,838 on snow removal. The 2026 budget projects $9,796,687 in revenue and $9,861,080 in expenditures, including $800,000 for State Trunkline work. A 2025-2029 matching commitment outlook was presented for projects including CR626, Maple City, Cherry Bend Rd, CR641, and CR616, funded through a mix of federal-rural, federal-urban, state, and LCRC match dollars. A detailed project list for 2026 totals $4,216,180 in planned work, covering pavement projects, culvert/bridge projects, chip seal and fog seal work, HMA wedging, guardrail, striping, and crack seal across primary and local roads.
Other Business
The presentation also covered LCRC staffing levels (4 admin staff, 3 supervisory staff, 20 crew/drivers, 4 mechanics, 5 seasonal snow plow drivers) and PASER condition ratings for 2023, showing estimated repair costs ranging from $4,000 (no maintenance) to $700,000 per centerline mile (full reconstruction with base stabilization), with a total estimated repair cost of $30,021,950 across rated road segments.
Financial Summary
- 2025: Revenue $10,040,143; Expenditures $8,843,459.
- 2026 Budget: Revenue $9,796,687; Expenditures $9,861,080, including $800,000 State Trunkline funding.
- 2026 NRF funding: $1.1 billion projected statewide; Gas Tax for Sales Tax Swap: additional $1.1 billion projected.
- 2026 project list total: $4,216,180.
- CRA Needs Study: $2.4 billion needed statewide to meet road condition goals.