Steve McKenzie

Highway Superintendant

**Busy Summer Ahead**

With spring around the corner, the Highway Department has a busy summer ahead of us. We will be:

1. Patching potholes

2. Sweeping our streets and roads

3. Ditching

4. Shoulder work

5. Replacing culvert pipes

6. Paving 4-5 miles of roads

Anyone who would like fill from these projects will need to stop and complete a Request For Fill form or print one off the Town website.

Each town has a network of feeder roads for whose maintenance and improvement the town board is responsible. The person in charge of repairing the local highways, of cutting weeds on the right-of-way and of removing the snow is the Town Superintendent of Highways.

• Highway Care: The superintendent is responsible for the maintenance, care, repair of, plus removal of snow from all town highways and bridges.
• Hire Employees: The town board makes a collective bargaining agreement covering town employees, including highway department and the superintendent is bound by such. Working hours and schedules are set by the superintendent for his department, not the town board. He must stay within budget limitations.
• Snow Removal: All town highways and bridges must be kept free of snow and inspected in April and October annually. An adequate supply of sand will be mixed with salt and stock piled for winter use on town highways to keep travel reasonably safe.
• Water Runoff: Sluices and culverts must be built and repaired and all waterways kept open. Road side shoulders will be kept lower than the road and angled as to allow proper water runoff.
• Loose Stones: He must see that loose stones are removed from highways in the town at least (3) times a year from April 1 to December 1.
• Noxious Weeds: He must remove noxious weeds growing in the bounds of town highways between July 15 and August 15 and at other times as needed. Road sides will be mowed. Brush and overhanging tree limbs will be cut back as needed, June to October. Trees on town right of ways that present a danger or possible hazard to safe travel should be removed if possible.
• Boundary Markers: He must maintain markers to show the boundaries of all town highways.
• Mileage Reports: He must measure all town highways when directed to do so by the Commissioner of Transportation, and report the total mileage of all town highways, showing the type of surface for each. Such report must be filed with the town clerk, the county superintendent of highways and the Commissioner of Transportation.
• Highway Guide Signs: He shall also erect and maintain highway guide signs upon town board approval.
• Annual Report to County: He is to make an annual report to the county superintendent of highways on a form established by the Commissioner of Transportation, relative to town highways and bridges. This is to be filed before January 1st.
• Tax Money Request: The superintendent must prepare and, by September 20th, file with the town clerk or budget officer a written report of tax money needed and itemized as follows:

1. 1. Repairs and improvements on town highways.
   2. Repair and construction of bridges over (5) feet span.
   3. Purchase and repair machinery, equipment and tools.
   4. Forms must be filled out for CHIPS money on a yearly basis between June and August

• Equipment Purchases: The superintendent may purchase, with the town board's approval, equipment and tools for highway maintenance and construction and for snow removal. The board can authorize amounts for purchases without such specific approval. Culverts will be purchased off county or state contracts, a year's supply at a time if possible.
• Report on Debt: Where highway machinery or equipment is to be bought, the town board authorizes the supervisor to buy such. The town superintendent of highways in his annual highway estimate must show the amount of principal and interest due on bonds or notes for such equipment in the next year.
• Highway Garage: He shall be responsible for housing and storing of all equipment.
• Annual Inventory: The superintendent of highways mush make an annual inventory with the value and cost of estimated repairs and deliver such inventory to the supervisor before September 30.
• Equipment Purchase: He must file with the town board before September 30 written recommendations on equipment that should be purchased and the cost. In the past the schedule has been for a new pickup every three years, a large truck replacement every three years, and off year purchases to upgrade equipment.
• Equipment Sale: The superintendent of highways may also sell equipment if the town board approves.
• Rental of machinery: Upon town board approval, needed machinery may be rented by the superintendent.
• Road upgrades: Six miles should be done a year, to give the town a 15 year turn around since there are about 90 miles of roads in town. A 12 year turn around would be better which would mean 7.5 miles of road to be done per year. CHIPS expects a ten year turn around.
• Resolutions: The superintendent of highways introduces three resolutions to the town board in January:

1. 1. attendance at Highway Superintendent Conventions, one spring and one fall.
   2. regarding road closures for the spring
   3. regarding rental equipment