Township road advisory committee update

By Dana Casdei

Last April the Bloomfield Township Road Advisory Committee – made up primarily of volunteer residents – held their inaugural meeting and this week they brought their first update to the board to present all they had found out about township’s roads during the last six months. 

“We won’t be hearing solutions tonight, this is simply fact finding,” said chairman Jeff Salz. 

The overall verdict is that Bloomfield Township roads are in poor condition, with over 80 percent receiving a poor condition score from the most recent Pavement Surface Evaluation & Rating (PASER) taken in 2024. PASER ratings come out every three years so even if a few of those roads that were rated poor have been fixed, there’s a high probability that some of the roads that were in fair condition are now poor. 

Even though the subdivision roads are primarily in poor condition, the main roads in the 2024 PASER report showed that many of them were in fair to good condition. Main roads are partially funded by federal and state aid, while subdivision roads don’t get any of that funding, and only receive funding from the Road Commission of Oakland County (RCOC) budget. 

To those residing in Bloomfield Township, knowing their local subdivision roads are in poor condition is nothing new, and a large part of the reason why the Road Advisory Committee was formed in the first place earlier this year. 

Their mission is to support the community through reviewing current road conditions, identifying problem areas, discussing practical solutions for improvement, and researching methods of promoting self-autonomy of local roads. They are also working to explore feasible repair and maintenance strategies, research legislative funding opportunities, and develop creative, cost-effective recommendations, all while acting in an advisory role to help the board of trustees make decisions. 

At the beginning of the nearly hour-long presentation on Monday, October 13, Salz showed a photo of the latest PASER report of Bloomfield Township roads that was covered in red roads. 

“There’s two big takeaways from this picture,” he said. “One is all the red. The second thing is that every one of these roads is owned by Oakland County. Bloomfield Township has no ownership or authority over these roads to do anything.”

The township can provide, and are responsible for, maintenance of the 213 miles of subdivision streets, which includes 37 miles of unpaved roads, but that only allows for so much work they can do, officials said.

“We’re very lucky to have a department of public works to do things,” said supervisor Mike McCready. “Every little bit helps.”

Bloomfield Township’s road division maintains all of the roads and provides services that include include snow plowing, roadside mowing, street sweeping, asphalt and pothole patching, and crack sealing.

But when it comes to those roads in poor condition, those that receive a one or two from the PASER report, there’s only one solution to fix the roads -- reconstruction. 

“We can maintain those roads, but can’t replace them, put signage up, or change a speed limit,” said John Cervenak, one of the evening’s speakers from the Road Advisory Committee. The committee has nine members in total, representing areas from all over the township.

With no federal or state funding, subdivision street improvements necessitate the approval of a special assessment district (SAD), which can not only be a financial burden for residents but also is not sustainable, officials said. Residents are currently being assessed $50,000 - $60,000 per household for the current SAD improvements for roads they don’t even own.

Right now, there are 23 SADs over 38 miles in Bloomfield Township that cost $4,249,756 per mile in 2025, and the current outstanding balance is $56,524,500. 

“It doesn’t make sense to have to pay for something you don’t even own… it becomes a debt to your property,” Cervenak said. 

One of the reasons SADs come to be is because of Michigan Public Act 51 of 1951, which established the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF), where specific fees on motor vehicle registrations and motor vehicle fuels were then allocated to provide funding for roads and road maintenance.

Those funds, once robust, are now desolate, and have led to basically a non-existent level of assistance for those at the local level. 

What is within the funding from the Michigan Public Act of 1951 only covers funding for state, county, city, and village roads, not townships. 

There’s also the issue of a lower millage rate for townships.

“Why is this important? Because townships are governed differently than other government institutes; we’re tapped out at a milage rate. If we were a city charter our mil rate could be up to 20. You’re caught in a Charlotte's Web,” said Gary Assarian who represented the county and state subcommittee, one of four subcommittees of the road panel.

Currently, Bloomfield Township’s millage rate is at 9.9571, with road millage revenue for fiscal year 2025 being $3,403,014. The max mill rate is 10, leaving little room for any additional mills even if residents were to vote in favor of adding more.

The road millage rate is one part of funding for township roads with the other two funding sources coming from Bloomfield Township’s general fund and RCOC reimbursement.

In fiscal year 2025 the RCOC reimbursement was $810,165. That amount has historically increased by two percent each year, officials said. 

Over the past 10 years, the general fund has supported the road fund with transfers totaling $11.4 million. In 2025, it was $1.9 million, and expected to be $2.7 million for fiscal year 2026. That $1.9 million transfer from the general fund was considerably high; most years it’s under $1 million.

For fiscal year 2025, those three main funding sources underwrote $1.5 million of contracted paving, $200,000 of patching, $200,000 of salt on local roads, and the $2.4 million in personnel and retiree costs.

“Through this budget we’re able to fix and repair about two miles of roads a year where we have over 200 miles of road,” said McCready, who is also a part of the road advisory committee. “This isn’t even a bandage.”

Outside of financial issues and the roads not being in good working condition, there’s also a safety element to consider when it comes to the poor road conditions in the township.

With no sidewalks on most of the subdivision streets owned by Bloomfield Township, people are riding their bikes or running on streets with massive potholes.

“It’s not just an eye sore… we had a young child fall off their bike and break their arm because of the roads. When you see the kids coming down the street… it’s a safety issue,” said Assarian. 

Given all the was discussed during the meeting, what happens next? 

The next phase is analyzing the data and impact of the new state budget then consider options for the township. Since it’s a blank sheet of paper, nothing’s off the table, according to Salz. From there, they’ll give their recommendations and suggestions to the board, with the hope to present their findings in early 2026.

“Then we’re going to put it in your lap,” Salz said. “You have to stay tuned.”