These are onerous times in Michigan, as our economy remains mired in difficulty. In the business world, everyone from our largest corporations to our “mom and pop” family-owned businesses is struggling. We in the public sector are also facing unprecedented challenges.

However, when times are tough, it has always been the hallmark of Americans to rise to meet the challenge, no matter how great. Today it is that spirit of determination that is guiding the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC).

We continue to face falling revenues, as both gas-tax and vehicle-registration-fee revenues -- our two largest funding sources -- both decline. At the same time, the cost of maintaining the county’s roads continues to rise.

What has not changed, though, is our commitment at RCOC to providing the highest level of service possible to the residents and businesses of this county. We have continued to find new ways to do more for less, to stretch our dollars farther and to continue to “get the job done.” For example, we have:

• Privatized services, where there is a financial advantage to doing so.

• Expanded the use of technology to improve efficiency.

• Expanded our bidding process, so that we can be assured of getting the lowest cost on materials and services we use.

• Joined a regional consortium of agencies to get a better deal on our salt purchases.

Today, we are doing more, with fewer resources, than ever before. I am proud of the many RCOC staff members who are constantly looking for ways to save money or make our dollars go even further. These are men and women who are truly committed to public service.

These folks realize that we can’t sit around waiting for the state or federal governments to solve the problem – we’ve got to put our noses to the grindstone and get the work done ourselves.

I’ve seen this commitment in everyone from our mechanics, who are doing everything they can to keep our aging trucks on the road, to our maintenance crews, who are striving to get as much work done as possible.

We currently have 25 vacant positions that we are not filling – most left vacant when long-time employees retired. This is particularly salient when you consider that we started this year with only four more employees than we had in 1974.

We have not increased our staff over the years. Instead, we have been able to meet the ever-increasing demand by privatizing activities where it makes business sense.

Consider how much more traffic there is in Oakland County today than in 1974, when the county had 300,000 fewer people, and RCOC’s road system contained 350 fewer miles of roads. Or consider the 300,000 additional commuters who live outside Oakland County but travel to jobs within the county today.

As a result of the vacant positions, many of our staff members today are not only doing their own jobs, but also those of the 25 people no longer on the payroll. Most of these folks willingly stepped up to help out when they saw the need. For these people, providing uninterrupted service for Oakland County residents is a point of personal pride.

I have no doubt that things will get tougher in coming months as dollars become increasingly scarce in Michigan. At the same time, I have every confidence that our dedicated RCOC staff members will remain committed to doing whatever it takes to get the job done. We are in this for the long haul, and we’ll continue to work smarter and harder, no matter what the state’s economy does.