Pontiac voters will decide next week whether to approve $75 million in bonds to repair the city's deteriorating roads, a proposal city leaders say would fund long-term fixes for streets that haven't seen major investment in decades.

The last time there was really any type of investment in Pontiac roads was back in the 1980s. The mayor says since then, the roads have continued to deteriorate. For the people who live in Pontiac, it means a rough ride every day.

"Sometimes, I feel like we've been bombed, dodging the potholes," Katrina Mabin said.

Mabin lives on Earlmoor in Pontiac. She told me getting in and out of her driveway is a bumpy ride.

"I have to go really slow, really slow," Mabin said.

Watch Ali Hoxie's video report below: Pontiac asks voters to approve $75 million in road bonds to repair deteriorating neighborhood streets

Just a block up from Mabin on Earlmoor is where William Swartzendruber lives. He told me it's not just Earlmoor that slows him down it's roads throughout Pontiac.

"I pull a trailer, and one of my leaf springs is broken on one of my trailers just from the roads because there is no way to gauge it. Like one road will be OK and the next thing you know, you're driving and there's a 6-inch pothole," Swartzendruber said.

Now, city leaders in Pontiac want to make long-term fixes. They are asking voters to approve $75 million in bonds, which would mean the city would borrow money to fix roads.

I spoke to Mayor Mike McGuinness about what this would mean for people paying taxes in Pontiac.

"It authorizes a millage maybe levied, but we are in a strong position. We want to pay that debt service on the financing for the roads each year as we go from our existing resources," McGuinness said.

Related: Michigan Voter Guide: Everything you need to know ahead of the 2026 election

McGuinness says the goal is to not increase taxes, even if the millage is approved.

"In other words, we don't even intend to levy those millages each year. We're going to pay for it from our existing general fund and other revenue sources," McGuinness said.

But approving the measure would give the city the authority to increase taxes, if need be. McGuinness says if that does happen, 60% of that would fall on businesses.

For homeowners, it would be $2.40 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

"I did the math for my home. I'm a homeowner in Pontiac and it would be under $100 each year," McGuinness said.

Approving the bond measure would mean the neighborhood roads would get some TLC, compared to the major roads like Huron Street, which is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Both Mabin and Swartzendruber told me they would be willing to pay up, if it comes to that.

"I understand that the roads play a big part of the lifetime of a vehicle, so the better the roads are, the less repairs I am going to have to make," Swartzendruber said.

"Oh, my God. We're poor enough around here. Everything is going up, but I mean, we got to get it done or we are going to have to get a new car," Mabin said.

I found at least one Pontiac resident who tells me at this point, it's hard to say if she will vote for the bond proposal. I asked her what the roads are like in Pontiac.

"They need some help," Jennifer Woods said.

Woods says she's lived in Pontiac her whole life. While she acknowledges the roads are bad, she's unsure about the prospect of potentially paying more in taxes.

"The way the economy is going right now, I'm trying to afford gas to get back and forth to work, so everything is going up. It's a hard pill to swallow right now I'm being serious," Woods said.

The mayor told me if this does not pass, it would delay long-term fixes and mean more temporary fixes on major road issues.

Gas prices have been eating into the wallets of Americans this fall. Prices typically decrease in the colder months, but with the ongoing war with Iran, gas prices are still well above $4 a gallon.

With prices so high, there has been some chatter about pausing Michigan's gas tax. Local road officials tell me there has been some talk among state lawmakers for about a month to temporarily eliminate the state gas tax. While it would bring relief to our wallets, it could hurt what your morning drive looks like.

See the full story from Traffic Anchor Ali Hoxie in the video below Pause Michigans gas tax? Drivers could save at the pump, but roads could take a hit

Suspending the gas tax would save drivers around 52 cents a gallon.

It's something politicians are sparring over. Gas taxes were brought up during a recent debate between Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Rep. John James, who are both running to be Michigan's next governor.

"That is why I was the first person in this race to take the stage and call on my opponent, and others in Washington to end the federal gas tax, to make sure we are doing everything we can to drive down the cost, and fix the mess that my opponent and others in Washington who support this reckless war have created," Benson said.

"She's distracting from the fact that she is fighting for the gas tax like I fought for our freedom. I have actually called for the state and federal gas tax to be repealed and there is a reason that Indiana and Ohio our eating our lunch," James said.

In Indiana, the gas tax is suspended through Nov. 4. In Ohio, it's suspended through Jan. 2.

I asked drivers in Southfield if they think Michigan's gas tax should be suspended.

"Oh yeah that would help us out a lot, yeah really it would help us out a lot," Christine Brown said.

"Of course, if it is temporary yes. It would put more money into the economy, it might stimulate this depression that we are going through, or at least recession," Tom Grendon said.

But not everyone is on board for example, the people at the Road Commission for Oakland County.

"We get about $10 million a month, about 75% of our income from the fuel taxes, if that went away and they didn't backfill it, that would impact almost everything we do," Craig Bryson, the senior communications manager for the Road Commission for Oakland County, said.

Bryson said that would mean local road projects would come to a halt and upcoming snow plowing efforts would be in jeopardy.

The idea is so concerning that the managing director for the Road Commission for Oakland County sent a letter to local lawmakers asking them not to support it.

"We just think this is not the best way to do it, this is too many long-term detrimental impacts of doing this, if the roads start to deteriorate because of this, that effects all of us as well," Bryson said.

Patrick De Haan with GasBuddy tells me the states that do suspend their gas tax will likely have to find other ways to make up for it.

"There is no silver bullet here to dodge, state gasoline taxes bring in a lot of revenue for states, and if they don't get you somewhere, they are going to make up for it somewhere else," De Haan said.

And while a little bit more money in the pocket helps, Detroiter Jayla Carr tells me more would need to be done to help her.

"That would help us a little bit, put a couple cents back in our pocket, but it needs to go down more than that," Carr said.

I did reach out to representatives for Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall. I was told that Hall would be open to sending a bill to the governor's desk, but that there are currently not enough votes in the Senate to make it happen. We will keep an eye on Lansing to see if anything changes.

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