LANSING – A new law that takes effect this year gives county governments the option to add two members to their road commissions, but in Leelanau County the topic has yet to be discussed.

“We haven’t talked about it, we haven’t considered it, we haven’t done anything,” said Robert Hawley, who chairs the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners.

The law allows counties to expand the size of their road commissions from three members to five.

Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, R-Kalamazoo, a sponsor of the law, said it would alleviate problems three-member commissions could have with the state’s Open Meetings Act.

“It’s a violation of the Open Meetings Act if two members talk to each other, even on a phone conversation, because that represents a quorum, or a majority of the board,” Hoogendyk said. “So I thought it made sense to introduce legislation that would provide for the opportunity, give the local board of commissioners the power, the option to expand their road commission.”    

It is that power that Hawley objects to, noting that the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners has no authority over the road commission.

“We coexist, so I think it would be inappropriate for the county board to take a lead role in changing the makeup of the road commission,” he said.

Since the road commission is elected in Leelanau County, Hawley said the board of commissioners’ actions in regard to expansion would ultimately be decided by local voters.

“If we get an overwhelming sentiment that we should expand it, we probably would sit down with the road commission and talk about it, but unless it percolates up from the taxpayers, we probably won’t even put it on our agenda for discussion,” he said.

John Niemela, the director of the County Road Association of Michigan, said the organization opposed increasing the number of road commission members because it saw “no valid reason” for doing so.

“The system has been working with a three-member board,” Niemela said. “They are capable and have shown that they’ve been capable over the years of being able to make the appropriate decisions on how they represent their constituents in the county.”

Nonetheless, the new law does not force counties to find two new members for their road commissions, Hoogendyk said.

“There’s nothing that mandates that they expand,” he said, “Any county that believes that their local road commission is operating sufficiently with three members can stay with the status quo.

“All this bill does is provide the opportunity for that option at the discretion of the board of commissioners,” he said.  

John Popa, vice chair of the Leelanau County Road Commission, said expanding the commission would place an unnecessary administrative burden on the county. Road commission members are currently paid $2,500 a year, with a per diem of $25 for a half day and $55 for a full day of special meetings or unscheduled workdays.       

“Nothing is broke up here that needs fixing, and it would be a terrible increase in expenses for the taxpayers,” Popa said.