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Vilas Co. Facing Tough Road Repair Decisions

Wikimedia Commons Royalbroil

The Vilas County highway committee faced the cost of road repair and construction during a recent meeting.

Road costs continue to be an issue not only for the state but also for county governments with limited resources and staff to effectively maintain public travel expectations.

The committee received plan proposals from highway commissioner Nick Scholtes who asked what level of service does the county provide and what level of service does the public want?

With weather influencing work, Scholtes said they may turn work away from state roads because it's affecting county work. Scholtes asked for $900,000 for 2018 road work but at that level it would take 33 years to cover the 204 county road miles. He said adding $300,000 would improve the process. His third option, bonding, was not favored but he said it could $580,000 if Highway B could be done all at once with bonding.

Vilas county did borrow $2 million to finish Highway K all at once, but in general does not bond highway construction. The committee favored asking for two employees for 2018 rather than increasing spending on roads. They approved a preliminary 2018 budget of $5 million with expected revenue of $4.5 million.

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