Discussion continues on roads millage

Two weeks after approving ballot language for a May millage request being sought by the county road commission, St. Joseph County’s Board of Commissioners heard additional discussion on the issue during Tuesday’s meeting.
Road commission board members John Bippus and chairman Dave Allen were on hand to give the agency’s annual report. Bippus recapped several projects the commission tackled last year; Allen followed by standing up for the road commission’s 33 employees and its five-member board.
Allen said he has noticed during his five years on the board that the road commission’s 33-member staff is dedicated and works hard despite frequent scrutiny from the public.
Allen spoke not long after Florence Township resident Tim Carls criticized commissioners for their investment practices and for allowing the road commission to stage its request.
At stake May 3 will be a request of up to 2.5 mills, yielding more than $5.4 million annually over a 10-year period.
Allen and Sherman Township Supervisor Bruce Bart said the decision about whether to support the millage request is up to the people, “as it should be,” Bart added.