Frequently Asked Questions

Q.       My property taxes go up every year, so why doesn’t the Road Commission fix my road?

A.   The road commission does not receive any property tax funds. Most property tax revenue goes to the State of Michigan and local school districts to pay for school operations while small amounts go to fund general county & township government administration with special voted millages going to fund certain functions like the county jail, township libraries, Central Dispatch (911), among others. The only tax money the road commission receives for road maintenance comes from the Michigan Transportation Fund administered by the State of Michigan. State collected fuel taxes, license fees, and vehicle registration fees, including all of those that you may pay, make up most of this fund, which is divided by law among the 83 counties and 534 cities and villages with the Michigan Dept. of Transportation keeping about 40 % for their programs. Currently the Clinton County Road Commission’s share of that fund is about $2,500 total for each mile of rural local county road. While these funds help us provide basic services such as gravel roads, pothole patching, and snow plowing, this level of funding doesn’t allow us to make significant improvements on county local roads. The road commission actively seeks State & Federal grant funds whenever available and encourages participation in road improvement projects by developers, other agencies, & township government. Unfortunately for local roads, most grant programs target their funding to the major collectors for primary county roads and Township governments operate on a modest budget that cannot provide the large amount of funds necessary to upgrade or pave many roads.

Q.   People are always speeding on my road. How can I get the speed limit lowered and some signs put up to slow them down?

A.   The road commission is the agency that installs and maintains all traffic signs on county roads. State law requires that the road commission must follow the requirements of the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MMUTCD) or risk losing state funding for road maintenance. To initiate this process, a township board must submit a resolution to the road commission. In order to install regulatory type signs like no parking signs and speed limit signs, the road commission must initiate a traffic study of the road in conjunction with the Michigan Department of State Police (MDSP) and the township. The study includes a review of traffic counts, accident history, speed studies, the character of the area along the road, and any other information available regarding the problems in the area. While the road commission and the township are participants in the traffic study & analysis, the guidelines of the MMUTCD and judgment of the MDSP largely determine what speed limit will be adopted. At the conclusion of the study the MDSP issues a written Traffic Control Order directing the road commission to install specific signs at special locations on the road and to record the completed Traffic Control Order at the County Clerk’s Office. In addition to setting speed limits through the traffic control order process, there are also the Prima Facia speed limits as shown here:

                    25 MPH             Streets built as part of a residential development or industrial park
                                            Roadways with 60 or more access points within ½ mile

                    35 MPH             Roadways with 45 to 59 access points within ½ mile

                  45 MPH             Roadways with 30 to 44 access points within ½ mile

                  55 MPH             Roadways with 29 or fewer access points within ½ mile

Q.   Why is my road always the last one plowed after a snowstorm?

A. The road commission organizes snow-plowing operations to service the most heavily traveled roadways first during and after a winter storm. The road commission starts with 180 miles of State Trunk line first. About 335 miles of county primary roads and certain high traffic local roads in the urban area are plowed and/or salted next. After those roads are passable, crews move on to clear local paved roads throughout the county. Typically, local subdivision streets and rural gravel roads are cleared after all other higher traffic roads. Although our crews may begin plowing/salting several hours before the morning peak traffic, and continue operations into the night, extended winter storms or continuing winds may require crews to continually plow the main high traffic roads and prevent them from reaching subdivision streets or rural gravel roads the first day. The road commission operates with an emergency crew around the clock when necessary.

Q.   Do I need a permit for a new driveway even if I do the work myself?

A.   Yes, a permit from the road commission is required anytime work is performed in the county road right of way. When you apply for a permit you are helping the road commission maintain safety for both yourself and the traveling public. Most traffic accidents occur at intersections or where vehicles are entering or leaving the roadway. The road commission inspects each proposed drive location to assure that adequate sight distance is available, to determine what drainage improvements might be necessary, and to review the site for other potential safety problems before a permit is issued. There is a charge for a residential driveway permit. We require that all contractors follow accepted traffic safety procedures and furnish adequate insurance coverage to protect both the homeowner and the public.

Q.   Why are you cutting down all the trees on my road?

A.   The road commission has an ongoing program to re-grade and re-gravel rural local county roads throughout Clinton County. The roadsides on many of the roads have become overgrown with brush and trees over the years to the point that fairly extensive trimming and cutting is necessary to restore safe sight distance for motorist and to help prevent vehicle collisions. As a part of the required work the Road Commission is creating a minimum 20-foot wide gravel surface with a 6 ft. wide clear zone on each side (free of fixed objects like trees that can cause serious injury if struck by a vehicle even at fairly low speed). In some areas trees and brush had to be cut just to obtain the 20-foot width for gravel surfacing. Although State law created a public right of way 66- feet wide for all county roads almost a century ago, the road commission is not seeking to clear, cut, or mow this entire right of way; and it is doubtful that we would cut all the trees on your road. We have adopted a uniform guideline for a minimum 6-foot clear zone as part of the road improvement projects now being worked on. We are also removing dead trees wherever possible to prevent them from falling into the road and may remove additional trees outside the minimum clear zone at the property owner’s request or with their approval.

Q.   How can I get my road paved?

A.   Most paved local roads in Clinton County were improved using private development funds or contributions from township government. The level of funding provided to the road commission by law is not sufficient to pay for the initial paving of a road. Although township government has no responsibility for road maintenance or improvement, and does not receive any road tax money, they have been very supportive of county roads over the years; and you may wish to contact them to see if they have any plans to improve your road in the future. By law road commissions are allowed to spend only up to 50% of the cost of improvements for local roads. The other amount must come from other sources.

Q.   Can I fill in the ditch and plant trees in front of my property?

A.    If there is a ditch along the road in front of your property you should not fill it in even if it doesn’t drain water along the road. The purpose of roadside ditches is to prevent water from pooling on the roadway during or after a storm, to provide an area for snowplowing operations, and to lower the water table beneath the roadbed. Filling in even a fairly shallow roadside ditch can cause serious damage to the road & pavement from frost heave and, the lack of positive drainage. Please do not plant any trees or shrubs that may become a vision obstruction or that may grow into a large fixed object that presents danger to motorists anywhere inside the road right of way. Trees and ornamental plantings should be set back at least 33 feet from the center of the road which in most cases will place them outside of the road right of way and protect them from traffic damage.

Q.   I don’t want you to spray my roadside with herbicides. What can I do to prevent this from happening?

A.   You can have the road commission exempt your frontage from our spraying program by contacting our office and obtaining a “No Spray Permit”. As a condition of the permit, however, you will need to cut and trim the brush along your frontage back away from the road at least to the ditch line and perhaps farther near road intersections and on curves or near driveways. The road commission encourages residents to maintain their own roadsides for safety and can assist you in removing any larger trees near the road that may be a problem. Unfortunately, we are not able to use labor-intensive hand trimming methods on the many miles of county roadside that we maintain.
Q.   What are “All Season” roads?

A.   So called “All Season” roads are those that have been designed and built with additional strength and durability to withstand truck traffic loads all year long; and, thus, they are not subject to the reduced loading restrictions that are placed on most roads during the early spring in Michigan. All residential subdivision streets, most rural hard surfaced roads, and all gravel surfaced roads in Clinton County are subject to a 35 % reduction in allowable loading during the period each spring when thawing of the ground below the roadbed softens the roadbed and makes the surface susceptible to damage from heavy loads.

Q.       How can I get a children playing sign put up to protect my children?

A.   The road commission no longer places or maintains “Children Playing” signs although there are still several of these signs scattered throughout our road system. Prior to the revision of the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MMUTCD) in 1983, these signs were acceptable for use on county roads. Studies done nationally leading up to that revision demonstrated conclusively that, while these signs may make parents and children feel safer, they have absolutely no effect on driver behavior and do not slow traffic speeds as might be expected. To the extent that the signs might make parents or children think they are safer when the danger is still present, these signs can actually reduce safety. The best policy is still to be sure to keep children as far away from the road as possible and don’t allow even older children to play in or near the road.   The road commission will issue a permit to a resident to install their own “deaf child” or “blind child” sign near their home. There is no charge for the permit but the resident must agree to accept responsibility to maintain the sign in a safe manner.

Q.   Why do you spread all that tar & gravel on the paved roads? There was nothing wrong with the road & now it is a mess?
A.   The process you are referring to is seal coating which most road agencies in Michigan use as a relatively low cost method of preserving existing pavements. The tar is actually an emulsion of water and liquid asphalt, which penetrates and seals small cracks in the existing pavement. Sealing these cracks on a regular basis prevents water from seeping into and softening the base of the road & over time causing potholes to form. The peastone that we use for cover material sticks to the emulsion and, after rolling & sweeping, provides a slightly roughened, skid-resistant surface to improve safety. Although seal coating can preserve and extend the life of the pavement, it is only a surface treatment and does not fill any existing bumps, holes, or irregularities and thus does not improve the ride quality. For this reason, it is important to apply seal coat to a road BEFORE this deterioration occurs which leads us to seal coat roads that are in generally good condition rather than waiting for them to deteriorate to the point that extensive patching is necessary.