Why doesn't Elkhart County use Toll Road lease money to fix roads?

by Kirk Mason (mason@wsbt.com)

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Why doesn't Elkhart County use Toll Road lease money to fix roads?

By Michael Guilmette

(WSBT) Winter extending into spring caused problems you may have noticed on local roads.

In Elkhart County, 72 additional miles of road need to be paved, which would cost $1.2 million. The county says it doesn't have the money.

“But it’s going to be a little bit challenging,” said Jeff Taylor of the Elkhart County Highway Department. “When you are that short that means some roads are going to have to be overlooked for now.”

So why not use money from the Toll Road lease? Each county the toll road travels through received an extra $40 million from the lease.

All $40 million doesn't go directly to Elkhart County government; seven other local governments within the county get a piece. $24 million is left over for the county, but County Commissioner Mike Yoder says that money is already budgeted for expensive bridge projects.

Yoder says there's no money from the lease to be used, except the $900,000 the county is earning in interest and Yoder said that money is already part of the budget.

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