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Understanding the Village’s 2021 Road Survey & Why Road Funding is More Complicated Than People Think
- Shannon Shulters
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
In 2021, the Village contracted with Midwest Pavement Analysis & Design, LLC. to complete a comprehensive roadway survey and pavement analysis at a cost of approximately $2,500. The study evaluated roadway conditions throughout the Village and provided recommendations for maintenance, resurfacing priorities, and long-term capital planning.
The goal of the study was not to create a “wish list” of projects. The purpose was to establish a realistic, data-driven understanding of what roads were in good condition, which roads needed preventative maintenance, and which roads were beginning to fail and would eventually require larger capital investments.
The study reviewed approximately 118 roadway segments throughout the Village and evaluated pavement conditions, roadway deterioration, maintenance needs, and projected repair costs. Recommendations ranged from simple crack sealing and asphalt rejuvenation to full mill-and-overlay resurfacing projects.
One of the biggest takeaways from the report was this: Preventative maintenance matters.
A road that receives crack sealing or rejuvenation at the right time can often be preserved for years at a fraction of the cost of allowing it to completely fail. Once a roadway deteriorates beyond a certain point, the Village moves from relatively inexpensive maintenance into significantly more costly reconstruction or resurfacing work.
The 2021 study estimated that identified roadway maintenance and resurfacing needs at that time totaled nearly $2 million in projected costs. Since then, asphalt, fuel, labor, and construction costs have continued to increase substantially.
What Many Residents Don’t Realize About Road Funding
There is often confusion regarding how Village roads are funded and what role R.I.T.A. plays in that process.
R.I.T.A. — the Regional Income Tax Agency — does not “fund roads.” R.I.T.A. simply administers and collects municipal income taxes on behalf of the Village.
The Village of Swanton currently operates on a 1.5% income tax. Those revenues do not solely go toward roads or paving projects. That same income tax revenue helps support payroll, operations, equipment, utilities, emergency response, and services across all six Village departments, including:
Police Department
Fire & EMS
Public Service
Water Treatment
Wastewater Treatment
Administration & Fiscal Operations
In reality, the Village’s 1.5% income tax revenue barely covers payroll and operational costs across those departments.
That means road projects often require a combination of:
Capital planning
Grants
State or federal funding assistance
Utility coordination
Phased construction scheduling
Careful budgeting over multiple years
Roads cannot simply be repaved all at once, nor can the Village realistically maintain every roadway immediately at the level residents would prefer.
Why Some Roads Get Fixed Before Others
One of the biggest challenges municipalities face is that what lies underneath the road is often more concerning — and more expensive — than the pavement itself. Many areas of the Village still contain sanitary sewer and waterline infrastructure that is 50+ years old. In many cases, deteriorating underground utilities, stormwater concerns, or failing infrastructure must be addressed before a roadway can responsibly be resurfaced.
While residents understandably focus on the condition of the pavement they drive on daily, municipalities must also prioritize the long-term integrity of the infrastructure below the surface to avoid repeated failures, emergency repairs, and ultimately wasting taxpayer dollars by paving roads prematurely.
It does not make financial sense to fully resurface a road if:
The waterline underneath it is failing
Stormwater separation work still needs completed
Sewer improvements are pending
Utility trench repairs are ongoing
Drainage issues have not yet been corrected
That is why residents sometimes see projects phased over multiple years.
For example, waterline replacements may occur first, followed later by roadway resurfacing once underground infrastructure is stabilized.
The Village’s Approach Going Forward
The Village continues using the 2021 roadway analysis as a planning tool to prioritize projects based on condition, safety, traffic impacts, infrastructure coordination, and available funding.
Since the completion of the study, the Village has continued addressing roadway improvements through resurfacing projects, trench patching following winter utility repairs, sidewalk improvements, drainage corrections, and larger corridor projects.
Infrastructure work is expensive, often disruptive, and rarely happens as quickly as anyone would like — including Village staff.
However, the goal remains the same: to responsibly maintain and improve Village infrastructure while balancing the financial realities of operating a full-service municipality.
Since the completion of the 2021 study, the Village has continued addressing identified roadway priorities through projects such as Hallett Avenue, Munson Road, and the upcoming Crestwood improvements, along with trench patching, sidewalk work, and drainage corrections throughout the community.