MONROE - Twenty-five town and village representatives and members of the public attended Green County's Turnout for Transportation meeting Thursday evening to discuss the problems facing the county's roadways.
The meeting, one of 71 that occurred throughout the state, invited local leaders to share their grievances regarding the maintenance of their roads and bridges.
The meeting opened at 7 p.m. with a video message from the executive directors of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Wisconsin Counties Association, highlighting the current crisis facing the state's road systems.
"If the first mile doesn't work, then the last mile won't work and the miles in between won't work," said Mark O'Connell, executive director of the Wisconsin Counties Association.
After the video, the assembled leaders voiced their concerns one by one. The most frequently repeated complaints included tree and brush control, fewer contractor bids, paving costs and general road degradation, but all complaints gave way to a single, universal problem: There is simply not enough money to go around.
Green County Highway Commissioner Jeff Wunschel said the state's most recent transportation budget proposal will not increase taxes or fees but will decrease total transportation spending by $200 million for the two-year period. And while the budget will increase local transportation aids by $65 million, it will cut capital expenditures in the highway program by $447.3 million.
Mike Gengler, board chair for the Town of Mount Pleasant, said the estimated cost of repairing all the roads in his township to merely adequate conditions would cost $1,145,188.
"Unlike other areas, we don't have any excess funds to reallocate to roads," Gengler said. "If this keeps on, we're not even going to have roads."
Other town leaders addressed other problems. One bridge in the Town of Jefferson cost about $900,000 to build, said county supervisor Harvey Mandel. But this expenditure meant that the town could not afford to maintain its roads for years afterward.
Therefore, instead of repaving roads completely, many leaders admitted they could only afford to patch their deteriorating roads, which is "like putting lipstick on a pig," Wunschel said.
Wunschel added that too many road projects only address the surface of roads and ignore the damage that sustained traffic can do to the foundations - especially considering the size of the heavy farm equipment in Green County's rural areas.
Although Tom Daly, chairman of the Town of Adams, said the purpose of the meeting was not to develop solutions but to voice concerns, many attendees suggested solutions anyway.
The most frequently repeated solution was to increase the state's gas tax, which has not been increased since 2006. Wunschel said 21 percent of the state's gas tax is spent to pay off the state's debt.
Other recommendations included increasing the county sales tax from .5 percent to 1 percent or implementing toll roads.
"We need to work together," Wunschel said. "People don't care if it's a town, county or state road, they just want a good road."
The meeting ended with Daly imploring the gathered attendees to contact their elected officials - from representatives to senators to the governor - to let them know of their problems.
No elected officials attended Green County's meeting.
"Do you think, if any politicians were up for reelection, that they'd be here now?" Daly asked.
The meeting, one of 71 that occurred throughout the state, invited local leaders to share their grievances regarding the maintenance of their roads and bridges.
The meeting opened at 7 p.m. with a video message from the executive directors of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Wisconsin Counties Association, highlighting the current crisis facing the state's road systems.
"If the first mile doesn't work, then the last mile won't work and the miles in between won't work," said Mark O'Connell, executive director of the Wisconsin Counties Association.
After the video, the assembled leaders voiced their concerns one by one. The most frequently repeated complaints included tree and brush control, fewer contractor bids, paving costs and general road degradation, but all complaints gave way to a single, universal problem: There is simply not enough money to go around.
Green County Highway Commissioner Jeff Wunschel said the state's most recent transportation budget proposal will not increase taxes or fees but will decrease total transportation spending by $200 million for the two-year period. And while the budget will increase local transportation aids by $65 million, it will cut capital expenditures in the highway program by $447.3 million.
Mike Gengler, board chair for the Town of Mount Pleasant, said the estimated cost of repairing all the roads in his township to merely adequate conditions would cost $1,145,188.
"Unlike other areas, we don't have any excess funds to reallocate to roads," Gengler said. "If this keeps on, we're not even going to have roads."
Other town leaders addressed other problems. One bridge in the Town of Jefferson cost about $900,000 to build, said county supervisor Harvey Mandel. But this expenditure meant that the town could not afford to maintain its roads for years afterward.
Therefore, instead of repaving roads completely, many leaders admitted they could only afford to patch their deteriorating roads, which is "like putting lipstick on a pig," Wunschel said.
Wunschel added that too many road projects only address the surface of roads and ignore the damage that sustained traffic can do to the foundations - especially considering the size of the heavy farm equipment in Green County's rural areas.
Although Tom Daly, chairman of the Town of Adams, said the purpose of the meeting was not to develop solutions but to voice concerns, many attendees suggested solutions anyway.
The most frequently repeated solution was to increase the state's gas tax, which has not been increased since 2006. Wunschel said 21 percent of the state's gas tax is spent to pay off the state's debt.
Other recommendations included increasing the county sales tax from .5 percent to 1 percent or implementing toll roads.
"We need to work together," Wunschel said. "People don't care if it's a town, county or state road, they just want a good road."
The meeting ended with Daly imploring the gathered attendees to contact their elected officials - from representatives to senators to the governor - to let them know of their problems.
No elected officials attended Green County's meeting.
"Do you think, if any politicians were up for reelection, that they'd be here now?" Daly asked.