The Lockport Township Board passed a resolution Monday evening to create a Special Assessment District (SAD) in the Tamarac Subdivision. The SAD would enable the township to collect funds from the property owners within its boundaries for the purpose of shifting responsibility for billing for the subdivision’s street lighting from the neighborhood association to the township.
The association pays nearly $15,000 a year to American Electric Power (AEP) for the lighting, whereas government rates for which the township is eligible would only cost around $5,000. Association representatives approached the township about the arrangement after learning about the differences in rates between private and government customers.
Although the vote establishes the SAD, there must be one public hearing before it can take effect or begin collecting funds, according to the township’s assessor, Dale Hutson. That hearing will take place at the next township meeting on August 10. The association, which meets on Tuesday, July 14, will discuss the proposed arrangement in preparation for the August hearing. Bill Armstrong, who attended Monday’s township meeting, said he felt it highly likely the residents would support the plan due to the significant cost savings involved.
The arrangement would take place in December if approved, at which time an initial collection will take place. Hutson estimated that would probably amount to $7,000 or $8,000, including the roughly $5,000 annual service cost plus some setup expenses.
Thereafter, the assessment would collect the annual amount plus any charges billed by AEP for repairs to the streetlights or other expenses. AEP would bill the township, which would in turn bill the association or the property owners. The cost would be spread evenly between the property owners being assessed.
To be decided is whether the funds would come from dues already paid to the association or be collected by the township separately. Whichever arrangement is chosen can be flexible and can be changed from one year to the next, according to Hutson. The township or the association could cancel the arrangement entirely if they or the property owners involved were to find it unsatisfactory for any reason.
Prior to August’s meeting, Hutson will send a mailer out to the affected citizens and will post notices in local news in accordance with laws that govern public hearings.
Assessors Back at Work
Hutson reported the county’s property tax assessors were back performing field work with some pandemic restrictions lifted. “We’re talking to the county to ensure we have all the right safety measures in place” for social distancing, Hutson said. When approaching a home, assessors will knock on the door, maintain six feet of distance with the owner, remain outdoors, and walk around the perimeter of the structure in order to gather information and update records.
Election Procedures Shaping Up
Township Clerk Tammy Babcock said the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is providing every voting jurisdiction with financial assistance for pandemic safety measures for voting and has provided the township with $1,000. She is investing the funds in signs for social distancing, thermometers, and three sneeze shields. The State of Michigan is also providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for voting staff, including masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and cleaning supplies.
A ballot drop box is also being provided, and Babcock will determine its location for drop-off ballots once she receives it. She is working with others to plan how the township hall will be set up for pandemic precautionary measures during the primary election.
Babcock said she has sent out more than 700 mail-in ballots as of Monday, which she said is far above normal. 40 percent of those are from absentee ballot applications previously sent out by the state.
Board of Review Position Filled
Township Supervisor Mark Major nominated Annie Signorello to the position of alternate member for the township’s Board of Review. Prior to Monday’s meeting, that board consisted of three members and one alternate. Major said having alternates was useful for ensuring continuity of meetings and proposed a second position concurrent with his nomination. The township board accepted Major’s proposal and his nomination with a unanimous vote.
Property Cleanup Quote Approved
Township Zoning Administrator Doug Kuhlman said he received two price proposals for the cleanup of a property requiring code enforcement in the 58000 block of Covered Bridge Road. The property is one of two that require attention on the same section of road. The other falls in Nottawa Township.
The higher quote came in at $2,000, while the lower one came in at $1550. The township board voted to permit Kuhlman to proceed with cleanup work at the lower price, supplied by Rusk Excavating and Demolition Services of Sturgis. The property was previously cited for its cleanup issues, and a court order has been signed by 3B District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey Middleton to approve the cleanup work.
Once billed and paid for, the costs would be placed on next year’s property taxes in the form of a lien. The board also gave Kuhlman permission to seek quotes for two other cleanup jobs, one on Patterson Road and one on Ash Road. The former is occupied but has an approved court order. The latter belongs to Lockport Township.
Grass Violations Acknowledged
Friesner acknowledged the board had previously directed code enforcement officer Michael Haydon not to issue citations for tall grass violations amidst the pandemic. Kuhlman said as a result, complaints from residents about such violations have gone up, along with various other types of blight complaints. He said the township can hire lawn cutting services to address long-running tall grass violations, although it is difficult to find contractors willing to do the work because the threats they can face from irate property owners and because debris in tall grass can expend an entire, fresh mower blade in a single job.
Township Treasurer Mike Friesner and Kuhlman expressed their thanks to Steven Benjamin, a resident of Ash Road, for taking the time to mow two township properties adjacent to his.
Water, Sewer Challenges Discussed
Friesner said he continues to investigate possible options for sewer service for the township. He said the potential exists for a system which connects Park Township, Lockport Township, Schoolcraft, and Vicksburg.
Several township board members said they felt that having sewer infrastructure would help make the township more attractive to development. The board discussed possible technological solutions, including a lagoon system modeled on what is in place in Mendon, but Major said such a system would limit industrial use since lagoons can only treat liquid waste, and many industrial users produce solid effluents that must also be treated.
Friesner and Kuhlman have had conversations with officials from the Village of Schoolcraft, which has been considering a sewer system of its own for some time. Friesner has also initiated conversations with officials in Vicksburg, which is currently pumping its sewage 20 miles to the north, and with Park township officials who have also discussed a system of their own.
Kuhlman said their work is exploratory at this point, but due to potential challenges with septic system renewal at Tamarack, and the possibility that some residents would be forced to connect with a municipal sewer system, he is investigating options.
Friesner and Kuhlman both acknowledged residents’ concerns about the possibility of being connected to the Three Rivers sewer system. Kuhlman began conversations with the other jurisdictions at the direction of a representative of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which has funds for sewer installation projects. He said the USDA considers this a good time to consider such projects because it is well-funded and interest rates are low.
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
