OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Drivers on Oregon Boulevard near Cass Elizabeth Road and Cooley Lake Road say getting home has turned into a slow, tire-damaging obstacle course as potholes continue to grow.
“I’ve never seen a road so bad with potholes,” one driver said.
Residents say the road has been deteriorating for years, and quick patch jobs aren’t holding. Randy and Doreen Stanard, who have lived on Oregon Boulevard for a decade, said the problems were there from the start.
“You see everyone coming around the hill right in front of our house, they slow to an almost crawl,” Doreen Stanard said. “They patch them. It lasts for a few weeks and then the holes come back.”
Chloe Walts said the damage is the worst she’s seen in a long time.
“You would think because it’s such an active road that they would have some sense of urgency to fix it,” Walts said.
Why the county says repairs aren’t simple -- or cheap
The Road Commission for Oakland County say the county receives about $11,000 per year per subdivision in state road funding for subdivision roads. That money has to cover routine costs such as:
- salting and plowing
- pothole patching
- drainage maintenance and repairs
- sign placement or replacement
- other routine maintenance issues
Here’s the catch: the road commission says it costs about $1 million to reconstruct one mile of subdivision road, which is what Oregon Boulevard needs.
No local road millage in townships
Another factor: Residents in Oakland County townships are not required to pay property taxes specifically to maintain local roads, unlike most cities.
The road commission also says it has no taxing authority, meaning it cannot levy a millage.
Townships can choose to create a local road millage -- but some do not, in part to keep taxes lower. The result is that older subdivisions can go decades without resurfacing unless residents pursue another option.
What is a Special Assessment District?
The road commission says the main path for a full rebuild in many township subdivisions is a Special Assessment District (SAD).
Through the SAD process, residents can petition to have their street repaved and pay for the project through an added assessment on their property tax bill. To move forward, at least 51% of property owners on the street must sign the petition supporting the project.
Neighbors on Oregon Boulevard said there have been petitions in the past, but none have been successful. Some residents say the challenge is that homeowners on the street would be paying the bill even though other drivers in the neighborhood also use the road.
SAD projects approved in recent years
The road commission provided examples of subdivision roads repaved through SADs in recent years.
2024
- Lakeland Estates/Parkwood Shores, Waterford Township
- Percy King Street, Waterford Township
- Lakewood Drive, Waterford Township
- Otter Hills, Waterford Township
- Dunham Lake, Highland Township
- Fox Bay No. 2, White Lake Township
2023
- Iris Drive, Waterford Township
- Tes Drive, Highland Township
- Timbers Edge, West Bloomfield Township
- Shore Hill Drive, West Bloomfield Township
- Long Lake Shores No. 2, West Bloomfield Township
- Kirkway, Bloomfield Township
- West Shorehill Drive, West Bloomfield Township
2022
- Lake Front, Waterford Township
- Ashdown Street, White Lake Township
- Kirkwood No. 1 and No. 2, Bloomfield Township
- Mystic Hills, Milford Township
- Rome Park, West Bloomfield Township
- Tappon Court, Independence Township
The bigger picture
The road commission estimates it would cost about $500 million to fix all subdivision roads in Oakland County that need to be repaved -- and says SADs are currently the only funding source available for many of those roads.
Prior pothole coverage: