Roscoe Township road costs were under budget, new snow plows will come

At their Dec. 9 meeting, the Roscoe Township Board approved the tentative 2022 budget. The general fund budget would be $2,472,892, the cemetery budget would be $150.943, and the general assistance budget would be $27,800. They also approved the payment of the month's general town bills of $48,075, road bills of $63,921 and cemetery bills of $13,099. Administrative assistant Mary Ryan says "the budget itself hardly ever goes up" because extra expenses for the new year is usually covered by money that wasn't used last year.

For example, Highway Commissioner Steve Schreier reported that almost $225,000 in unspent road and bridge funds will be available for next year. The Township budgeted $375,000 for contractual repairs for its 91 miles of roads, but the winning bid was only $242,000. Sealcoating costs about $35,000 a mile and the Township did about 3.5 miles in 2021. But this year, they found another revenue source to pay for it: the Township's share of Winnebago County's MFT (motor fuel tax) revenues. The Township expects to spend $275,000 next year in rebuilding its roads, which is planned on a ten-year schedule by Batterman Engineering of Beloit.

Ford Motor Company has informed Schreier that the Township's two new Ford F-750 snowplow trucks, which were ordered in February 2021, won't be built until late January 2022. Delivery was already postponed several times. "We're going to be okay for this winter," Schreier says, because they have worked hard to keep the eight existing trucks in working order. The township ordered the 2020 models, but they will receive the 2022 models, though still at $125,000 each.

The board formally voted to put the construction documents out for bid in January for the Roscoe Township Community Center. The winning contractor will need to follow Township code and the conditions of the grant agreement, including requirements for apprenticeships and prevailing wage. Light posts will be placed on traffic islands in the parking lot. Electric vehicle charging stations will be included, to be reimbursed by the State.

Three community members attended the meeting, more than usual. One man said he was "curious what's going on and excited about the community center being done so it can be used" and rented out. The documents that the Township Board reviewed during the meeting are available online.

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