ROCKFORD, Mich. — Cities, villages, and counties across Michigan will receive a 33.4% increase in road funding under the new state budget approved in October, providing significant relief for communities struggling with infrastructure needs.
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The funding boost comes after months of budget negotiations that left local officials uncertain about the final outcome.
"They've been talking about it all summer, and, you know, as a village manager, I didn't know what to expect, what the final deal was going to look like," said Jim Lower, Sparta Village Manager. "What they came up with is really impactful for Sparta and certainly for other communities as well."
Sparta will see its road funding jump from $529,100 in the 2024 state fiscal year to $705,800 under the new budget — an increase of $176,700.
"Once we found out what the number for Sparta is, we're very excited, especially because we're working on our budget right now, and we're going to plug that money right into our budget and get it out the door and into getting our roads fixed," Lower said.
Despite the significant increase, Lower said the village still faces years of work to address road maintenance needs.
"We're still playing catch-up, so it's going to be a lot of years before we can get everything brought up. But this is going to be a big help for us," he said.
Cedar Springs will receive $625,500 in road funding, up from $468,900 last fiscal year — an increase of $156,600.
"This is good news," said Darla Falcon, Cedar Springs City Manager, noting her city relies heavily on state funding for road repairs.
"There's a lot that goes into repairing roads, unfortunately, but I mean that it is what it is. We have to build them correctly so it can withstand the traffic that we have," Falcon said.
Rockford will receive the largest dollar increase among the three communities, with funding rising from $727,100 to $970,000 — an increase of $242,900.
"I was just so pleasantly surprised. I think you know that small cities, like all cities across the state, struggle to meet the road needs. Now we're going to have fund dollars available to do park improvements, potentially or other improvements that would have been sidestepped because streets took the need," said Thad Beard, Rockford City Manager.
Local officials expressed gratitude for the state's investment in infrastructure.
"You don't often, you know, hear positive things like, hey, the state and locals working together and doing something positive. So that's why I think it's a nice thing to be able to talk about and say, thank you, because I know that for our board and for our community, we're very appreciative of the funding," Lower said.
The extra funding will enable Sparta to complete at least two additional road projects next year, rather than waiting until 2027.
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