KCRC Receives Additional $9 Million under State’s Proposed 2019 Budget
PRESS RELEASE - June 14, 2018
(Grand Rapids, MI) The Kent County Road Commission is anticipated to receive an additional $9.5 million in funding for 2019, thanks in large part to $300 million of surplus revenue allocated to transportation by the Michigan State Legislature.
The state’s 2019 budget, which awaits Governor Rick Snyder’s signature, includes two increases to transportation: a general fund revenue increase of $175 million ($3.5 million, KCRC) enacted under the 2015 Transportation Funding Package and an additional one-time surplus revenue increase of $300 million ($6 million, KCRC).
Aligned with KCRC’s Long Range Plan, the anticipated $3.5 million increase KCRC will receive in general fund dollars will be divided between two areas: 75 percent dedicated to edge-to-edge road and bridge improvements and 25 percent committed to routine maintenance activities.
With the one-time $6 million increase from surplus revenue, KCRC will accelerate priority road and bridge improvements, estimating completion of reconstruction and resurfacing projects on eight (8) additional miles of local road, ten (10) additional miles of primary road and two (2) bridges.
“It is clear that the Legislature has been listening to their constituents, and their response has been to act. This increased investment to our state’s infrastructure allows us to ‘fast track’ critical projects that would otherwise be scheduled years in the future,” said Steve Warren, KCRC’s Managing Director.
“We applaud our lawmakers for securing these additional transportation dollars without causing additional pain at the pump. Motorists can rest assured that the $300 million funding increase is generated by surplus revenue, not by an increase to fuel taxes or registration fees," said Warren.
KCRC is currently preparing its proposed 2019 budget, which will be presented to the Kent County Board of Road Commissioners for adoption in September after it is made available for public comment.