Good afternoon,
Despite the snow today, we are another week closer to the official start of spring. Thank you for all of your efforts to keep our road system together during the always challenging, spring thaw.
It has been an interesting week in politics. As the tragedy in Ukraine continues to worsen, there is growing public concern about the cost of fuel. We have all watched the price of gas soar over the past few weeks and people are getting upset. On Wednesday, the Michigan House approved a 6-month suspension of the state fuel tax. This bill has now been sent to the Michigan Senate for consideration. The senate is expected to vote on it sometime next week. If the senate also approves it, the bill then goes to the governor for signature.
If (and it is still a very big IF) this bill becomes law, it could mean significant revenue loss for our organization this year. We have been assured by leadership in the legislature that this lost revenue would be backfilled from another funding source in the state budget but that has not been confirmed.
As of right now, we are not making any changes to our 2022 budget, but we will continue to monitor the situation closely.
This is certainly not the news I wanted to share this week, but we work very hard to keep everyone informed of key events – good and bad. Regardless, I know we will get through this even if our belts are a little tighter. Please let me know if you have any questions.
One other sign of spring is the start of Daylight Saving Time, which begins Sunday. Please remember to set your clocks ahead one hour as you enjoy the weekend.
Take care and stay safe,
Sheryl
