Road Commission of Macomb County - Progress In Transportation

Road Commission of Macomb County 117 South Groesbeck Highway Mt. Clemens, MI 48043 Phone 586.463.8671 Fax 586.463.8683		Lawrence J. Moloney, P.E., Chairman Dan G. Dirks, Vice-Chair Fran Gillett, Commissioner

Gillett Re-elected January 12, 2009 Mount Clemens – Fran Gillett has been re-elected chairwoman of the 258-member Road Commission of Macomb County, which is charged with building and maintaining the county’s 1,700 miles of roads. Gillett of Shelby Township has been a Road Commissioner for eight years and has served as the agency’s chairwoman for six of them. The Road Commission this year has a total budget of about $120.8 million. “I’m looking forward to another year as chairwoman at the Road Commission during these challenging times,” said Gillett, who was re-elected at the Road Commission’s board meeting on Jan. 8. She noted that the Road Commission, like all governmental units, is facing tough financial times caused by declining revenues. The Road Commission has what is believed to be the largest county road construction budget in the state this year. It expects to spend about $65.5 million – most of that from federal highway funds – on road and bridge construction and other highway improvements. In addition, the Road Commission has provided U.S. Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township and U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, with a list of 47 road and bridge projects that could be selected for federal funding under President-elect Barack Obama’s economic stimulus plan. Still, this year’s construction projects will have to be accomplished with fewer employees, Gillett said. Since 2005, the Road Commission has reduced its staff by about 15 percent from 305 employees to 258 through attrition because of reductions in revenues from the state. The Road Commission received about $40 million in 2004 for its general operations. This year it is expected to get around $35.7 million. “We’re just going to have to work harder and smarter,” Gillett said. She noted that the Road Commission’s belt-tightening efforts have resulted in no increase in spending for general operations for the past three years, despite skyrocketing hikes in the costs of everything from gasoline and diesel fuel to health care and road salt. “In fact, we’ve been able to reduce our expenditures for general operations by about $800,000 over the past two years,” she said. Gillett has been involved in local politics for decades and served on the Macomb County Board of Commissioners for nine years before her appointment to the Road Commission in 2001. She also has served as director of Secretary of State’s executive office, as a Shelby Township clerk, a trustee and on the municipality’s planning and zoning boards. Other Press Releases: 2010-04-14 - National Work Zone Awareness Week... 2010-01-04 - Road Commission Elects New Chairman... 2009-11-23 - EPOKE Systems Help Snow And Ice Removal... 2009-11-20 - Romeo Plank Widening Complete... 2009-10-28 - Mound Road Nativity Scene... 2009-09-14 - Road Stimulus Projects... 2009-01-12 - Commissioner Gillett... 2009-01-08 - Expenses...