Township governments often struggle to have funds to maintain roads

Dear Editor:

It was with amusement that I read Barney Fisher's letter to the editor in the Wednesday, July 15, Nevada Daily Mail, not because I thought the article was funny but because as a onetime township member, I have heard all the questions and comments before.

My wife and I both had more than 20 years experience and the only way to get off the township board was to move to a different township. I have always felt that the board's duty was to maintain our county roads to the best of our ability, but times have changed and this could be done better as a county and not as a township.

Some townships have the revenue to keep up roads while others barely can afford a maintainer and its upkeep. I have heard the argument that giving up townships is giving up control of the way things are maintained but if you don't have the funds, you can't maintain anything.

I have also been told that this form of county maintenance would mean that the townships that have a large population would go to a Special Road District. That may be, but all the other townships could benefit and I don't think things would change that much.

I realize that a lot of things would need to be ironed out and the county commission's plate would get a little fuller but maybe you would not get an answer of "That's not my job" and in the long

run, I think Vernon County would benefit.

Respectfully

Terry Hahnfeld