Watersmeet Roadway Committee

Routine Maintenance of all primary and local roads is the responsibility of the Gogebic County Road Commission (GCRC).

This includes downed trees, crack filling, pothole filling, snow plowing, etc.  If you have an issue to report, please contact the GCRC at (906) 667-0233 or visit their contact page at Gogebic County Road Commission Contact Us.

State Roads are the responsibility of the Michigan Department of Transportation - (517) 241-2400 or Contact MDOT (michigan.gov)

Forest Service Roads are the responsibility of the National Forest Service - (906) 932-1330

Do property taxes pay for the road repair and maintenance?

• Only the ½ a millage rate increase effective Winter 2022 is available for road maintenance.
• All monies not spent in the working year will roll over to the next year.

Who pays for road repair and maintenance?

• Fuel tax that is charged at the pump in Michigan @ 27.2 cents a gal.
• Additional funding comes from a portion of vehicle registration fees.
• The ½ millage paid on your tax bill is for roads only.
  • The ½ millage totals approximately $90,000 per year.

Who also contributes to the road fund?

• Gogebic County Road Commission (GCRC)
• Additional funding may also be received from
  • Lac Vieux Desert BIA funds
  • PILT monies from government entities (e.g. US Forest Service).

How much does the GCRC contribute per year?

• Watersmeet's portion per year is 60% GCRC's portion is 40%
• Total amount for the year expenditures is about $124,000

Is that a lot of money for road repairs?

• Pulverized old blacktop and add 3-4 inches of gravel, no other prep work $53,000* per mile.
• Adding blue granite (less dust and packs very hard) no prep work $50,600* per mile.
• Pulverizing old blacktop only nothing else added $18,000* per mile.
• HNA milling ground up old blacktop roads spread and rolled $120,000* per mile.
• 2-4 inches of new blacktop on existing road and add 4” of road gravel and pulverize $400,000* per mile.
• Chip seal one layer thick $20,000*; two layers thick $36,000* per mile.
• Tree removal medium diameter (2ft) with stump removal and back fill about $1,500* each. Large diameter (3ft plus) up to $5,000* each.
• Additional prep work could also include ditching, culvert installation or replacement.

*Prices quoted are from GCRC for the 2022 road work season with a projected increase of at least 30% for 2023 season and not all options listed are always available.

Why gravel and not asphalt?

Recognizing the prohibitive costs associated with asphalt paving, the Watersmeet Board of Trustees supports the recommendations of the Township Roadway Committee and the Gogebic County Road Commission regarding the repair and maintenance of local roads. Asphalt roads with low traffic volume and in poor condition (based on PASER ratings) will be returned to gravel.  This position may be modified should costs decrease or other sources of revenue identified that would make asphalt paving more economical than gravel.

Additionally, research from Michigan Tech has shown that a gravel road with a traffic volume of 200 vehicles per day (VPD) is safer than a paved road with the same traffic volume.  For safety reasons, all roads with a traffic volume under 200 VPD should be considered for gravel which is almost all local roads in Watersmeet.

Watersmeet Township local road network has a total of 53.4 miles.

• Roads rated from 1-10 with 10 being the best.
  • Good rating 7-10:  2% of the roads = 0.9 miles
  • Fair rating    4-6:  14% of the roads = 7.3 miles
  • Poor rating 1-3:  84% of the roads = 45.2 miles

Where Do Your Property Taxes Go?

Summer Tax

Watersmeet Township only receives a 1% Administration Fee. This fee helps to offset the cost of sending the notices of assessment, tax bills and other costs associated with the Assessor’s Office. The remainder of the Summer taxes collected go to the Watersmeet School for Operating (those without a PRE), Gogebic Ontonagon-Intermediate School District for Operating and Gogebic County Operating.

Winter Tax

Watersmeet Township collects a 1% Administration Fee for the Winter Tax collection cycle and uses the money as mentioned in the previous paragraph.  The actual millage levied by the township will be 4.943 for Winter 2022. The remainder of the winter taxes go the special millage levied by the county to all townships, such as Gogebic Community College, Senior Program, Transit, Ambulance, Medical Care Facility and Animal Control. The funds generated locally are allocated to police protection and costs, 1 mill or $1 per $1,000 of taxable value, 0.5 mills which is being assigned for only local roads that are maintained by the township and repaired under the 60/40 split with the Gogebic County Road Commission and the remaining 3.43 mills for the general operating costs of the township, including such things as fire protection, transfer station, general maintenance of township properties. The breakdown of the local operating millage revenue is shown in the township budget for the fiscal year and is available for the public to view at the township office.

• State Roads – are the responsibility of the Michigan Department of Transportation
• Primary Roads* – are the responsibility of the Gogebic County Road Commission (GCRC).
• Local Roads* –
  • Emergency response such as downed trees, snow plowing, etc. is the responsibility of GCRC.
  • Routine maintenance is the responsibility of GCRC, as budget allows.
  • Yearly road rehabilitation projects are reviewed and approved by the Watersmeet Road Committee
• Forest Service Roads – are the responsibility of the National Forest Service.
• Private Roads – are the responsibility of the property owners.

*Some roads within the Township have segments that are primary and segments that are local.  i.e. Cisco Lake Rd, Old US 2 West, Duck Lake Rd, Thousand Island Lake Rd.

2024 Schedule

• Primary Projects
  • Sylvan Isle Drive - Eagle Drive to Channel Drive
  • Fish Hawk Road
• Additional Projects Dependent on Availability of Funds
  Not listed in any particular order
• • Kitty Island Road
  • Maplewood Road
  • Miller Road

Work completed in 2023:

• Dinner Lake Road
• Eagle Drive - gravel portion
• Otter Lane - gravel portion
• Sylvan Isle Drive - Channel Drive to end

https://www.watersmeet.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Watersmeet-2023-PASER-Reports.pdf

Transportation Asset Management Council of Michigan

Michigan's 2022 Roads & Bridges Annual Report

Gogebic County Road Commission

Michigan Department of Transportation