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The operating fund balance was only $438.99 the second week into July, which means they will have to borrow from the debt fund to make payroll and pay the bills at the July 25 meeting. Accountant Joyce Hagan reported the $5,400 borrowed from the debt fund the end of June was paid back.

The debt fund's operating reserve contains $125,754 and the insurance refund-interest portion of the fund was $589,836 as of July 11.

Hagan has been tracking gas and weight tax funds, state maintenance reimbursements and township contributions so the road commissioners can see how funding is going down.

July's state gas and weight tax check was almost $8,000 less than last month's. June's check was about $2,000 less than the May check, which was $75,000 less than the April check. The gas and weight check funds the operating fund. So far the total is $50,905 than this time last year and $57,901 less than by July 2005.

Township contributions for work done on gravel roads is down $120,885 compared to this time last year. The townships paid $187,380 less in 2006 than 2005.

The balance receivable was $440,024 compared to $293,851 in accounts payable for the July 11 meeting, $366,709 of it was money the townships owe for work already finished.

One plus right now is the state maintenance reimbursement for work the road commission does on state highways. That is up $119,362 over the same time last year. However, the total reimbursement in 2006 was down $214,621 from 2005.

They made one big expenditure this year. In June the road commissioners approved the purchase of the Buskirk property in the Sandusky Industrial Park for $330,000. They took the money from the debt fund, which totaled $942,449 on May 30.

Before they can move into the 10,080 square foot building, they must do some wiring and plumbing for air supply and install an air exchanger to meet code. They plan to move all the mechanical work into the building on Stoutenburg Road and use the current maintenance building for vehicle storage.

The funding drops have impacted the work they can do on primary paved roads this year.

The county road millage fund has $1.537,713 million for the primary road projects for 2007.

The county road commission had to cut four paving projects they had planned to do this year. The road commissioners have authorized spending $1,091,808 of the 2007 road millage funds for paving projects. The engineers had originally about $2.3 million, substantially more than the county's share of the county road tax.

They have also set aside about $400,000 in road millage funds for their share of the reconstruction of seven miles of Todd Road from Fisher Road to M-90. Most of the work will be paid for with state and federal funds.

Over the past few years the road commission has approved more projects than they could pay for out of road millage monies, forcing them to tap their operating funds or take the money out of the following year's millage funds. Last year they spent $786,653 of road commission dollars on primary road projects. However, with gas and weight tax declining, they can't do that any more.

In other business, Engineer-Manager Robb Falls reported Albrecht Sand & Gravel was the low bidder on the Bay City-Forestville Road project at $1,098,900.88, which was 2% over their estimate. The road will be pulverized, stabilized and brought up to Class A standards the six miles from M-19 to Polk Road. The bulk of the money will come from the state Jobs Today funding.

*Falls reported the crack fill is bleeding through the overlay Albrecht's just completed on Parisville Road.

"I do no think it will be a problem, we can live with a bump," he noted.

Highway Consultant Bob Wellington stated when that happened with Snover Road , they added another course of asphalt, but money is a little tight this year.