WCRC has assembled a four-year road improvement plan that outlines which projects will be completed each year the millage is levied. WCRC will use millage revenue to improve the primary road network. Primary roads are designed for collecting traffic from local roads and connecting motorists to state highways, freeways, cities, and villages.

The first year of projects began in the summer 2017. Each year, the millage appears on Washtenaw County resident’s winter tax bill and road improvements will begin the following summer. The 2020 construction season is the last year of projects funded by this millage.

All revenue generated by the millage stays in Washtenaw County.

• WCRC receives approximately $3.3 million per year to fund road work in the county’s twenty townships.
• Cities and villages receive $2.5 million per year, with specific allocations based on the amount raised within a municipality’s borders. For example, the City of Ann Arbor would receive approximately $2 million.
• The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission receives $1.5 million per year to support the expansion of the county’s non-motorized path network.

The four-year road and non-motorized path millage funds road improvements in every city, village, and township throughout Washtenaw County. Ann Arbor’s street millage, approved by voters during the August 2, 2016 primary, only funds improvements within the City of Ann Arbor’s borders. The city’s millage does not fund any improvements to the 1,649 miles of county roads, including many commuter roads into Ann Arbor, such as Huron River Drive, Pontiac Trail, and Geddes Road.

Between 1997 and 2015, there were no increases in state road funding. State funding comprises a majority of WCRC’s revenue.  During these years, no adjustments were made to the fuel taxes to keep pace with inflation or to balance the reduction in gas tax revenue due to cars’ increased fuel efficiency.

In November 2015, state lawmakers approved a package that will increase road funding. Unfortunately, road agencies will not receive the full amount of funding until 2021 and half the funding outlined in the package is not guaranteed. The millage will help fill the funding gap while Washtenaw County awaits the full phase-in of new funding. Additionally, the millage will provide the county with a funding mechanism to continue improving county roads if state lawmakers do not fully actualize the road package.

The Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission receives 20% of the revenue generated by the millage (approximately $1.5 million per year). This money is divided annually between investments in the Border-to-Border (B2B) trail system and funding for the Connecting Communities Grant Program.

The B2B is a non-motorized pathway that connects cities, parks, and many destinations throughout Washtenaw County. Within the county, 35 miles are complete and 19 more miles are planned. Millage funds for the B2B go directly to construction and so far have been used to leverage more than $11 million in grant funding and private donations. In 2019, construction was initiated on B2B projects in Lyndon, Lima, Scio, and Ypsilanti Townships, and the City of Ann Arbor.

The Connecting Communities Grant Program provides supplemental funding to assist municipalities with the development of locally important non-motorized projects. Millage funds are used to help with a variety of project expenses, with an emphasis on construction and engineering costs. So far, millage dollars have supported 17 Connecting Communities projects, including the completed construction of path segments along Textile Road in Pittsfield Township and the Matthaei Botanical Gardens Trail in Ann Arbor Township.