As you probably know, the Road Commission is a separate entity from the County, responsible to its own Board of three people. They have their own budget and their own management of nearly 150 employees who are responsible for “maintaining a road system that is reasonably safe and convenient to the traveling public.”

During the past year, and especially most recently, the Board of Commissioners has been hearing complaints about dysfunction and possible mismanagement at the Road Commission. The information has come to us anecdotally through emails, phone calls and public participation during Board meetings, but it has chiefly been related to us through our own commissioner liaisons to the Road Commission – Commissioner Leah Gunn and Commissioner Mark Ouimet.

Because of some of the feedback I’ve been getting on this issue, I wanted to make sure that you understood the relationship the Board has to the actual management of the Road Commission.

The three members of the Road Commission Board are not "management". Rather, like our elected BOC, they are the eyes and ears of the people. They are the representatives of the public owners of these respective bodies - the citizens of Washtenaw County. And I have to say, looking at the issues that the Road Commission must understand and plan for in today’s world, three people seems inadequate for the task.

It is my judgment that having 5 individuals charged with this oversight role instead of 3 enhances the likelihood of an outcome that meets the public interest.  Often the ability to ask the right questions is the key to any effective oversight. It just seems logical that increasing the size of the WCRC would increase the likelihood that the right questions would be asked. Additional public voices at the table would afford the general public and the WCRC employees additional opportunity to have their concerns addressed.

For those who would think that there is a large cost issue with adding two people to the Road Commission’s Board, please remember that these are jobs not unlike the County’s Board of Commissioners. Their $10,500 stipend is really the only expense other than travel - which should be minor. In point of fact, I return much of my travel budget back to the County, as do many of my fellow commissioners.

Another important aspect to this idea of expanding the Board has to do with the importance of diversity in a public body. Of course, racial and gender issues are a part of that but, perhaps more importantly, is the diversity of experience and skills. Financial and legal aptitudes are obvious examples. Management experience might be another skill-set we would hope to attract with a five-member option. At that last BOC meeting, I proposed a working session to openly discuss these types of goals.

I would also point to a type of philosophical diversity as very important to dealing with the challenges of creating public policy. The Road Commission sits at the heart of some of the most difficult policy discussions and polices facing our County: Do we want to preserve our dirt roads and rural flavors within Washtenaw County or should those roads be paved and/or expanded? Do we want to invest more in non-motorized projects or should we direct our resources to reducing congestion (temporarily) by adding capacity to major routes? I would think that these vital policy questions, and others, are best settled among a diverse but manageable group.

One area that we haven’t talked a lot about is the Guiding Principle # 7 aspect of all this. I know that we could find ways that the County and the WCRC could work together to share services that could direct more resources and support for their employees, and for their overall goals.

It’s my opinion that, if we want a WCRC that is responsive to public concern and tackles these hard questions directly, we need a larger and more diverse Road Commission Board.  I also think that our own Board is not in a political position to micromanage the daily operations of the Road Commission. I do believe, however, that we are in a position to help that organization take advantage of new leadership and oversight that will affect every person who works for the Road Commission, and every policy and job they undertake.

Please let me know your thoughts on all this and don’t forget there will be more discussion on this and other important matters at this week’s August 1st Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Ways & Means, Regular meeting and August 2nd Working Session.