Applications Accepted for Road Commission

Applications are being accepted to fill the seat on the Washtenaw County road commission board left vacant by the recent death of long-time road commissioner Fred Veigel. The appointment process was announced by county board chair Yousef Rabhi at the board’s March 5, 2014. The deadline for submitting applications is Sunday, March 16. Rabhi hopes to make a nomination at the board’s March 19 meeting.

The appointment would be to fill the remainder of Veigel’s term, through Dec. 31, 2014. Applications can be submitted to Peter Simms of the Washtenaw County clerk’s office at simmsp@ewashtenaw.org.

The road commission is overseen by a three-member board that’s appointed by the county board. The two current commissioners are Doug Fuller and Barb Fuller, who are not related. The organization manages the maintenance and repair of about 1,650 miles of roads in the county that are outside of cities and villages, including about 770 miles of gravel roads. The organization employs 115 full-time staff, down from 156 in 2004. [.pdf of 2013-2014 road commission budget] [.xls of all road commission projects 2014-2018] [.pdf list of unfunded projects 2014-2018]

The organization of the road commission has been the focus of a county board subcommittee that recently made a recommendation not to absorb the road commission’s operations into the county government. For more background, see Chronicle coverage: “No Major Change Likely for Road Commission.”

Veigel, who also served on the county parks & recreation commission as a representative of the road commission board, died on March 2. Visitation is scheduled for Saturday, March 8 from noon to 4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m., and on Sunday, March 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-8 p.m. at Nie Funeral Home on Liberty Road, just west of Wagner Road. Funeral services are scheduled for 11 a.m. on Monday, March 10 at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 3109 Scio Church Road.

At the March 5 county board meeting, commissioners passed a resolution honoring Veigel for his work. [.pdf of resolution]

This brief was filed from the boardroom of the county administration building at 220 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. A more detailed report will follow: [link]